Composting is just nature’s way of recycling food scraps into Black Gold. It is the controlled decomposition of organic material such as food waste, grass clippings, leaves, twigs, etc. This process helps to keep the high volume of organic material out of the landfills. Moreover, with organics making up a significant part of our municipal waste, onsite composting reduces the cost of hauling garbage and operating landfills. Composting can also save money for home gardeners who normally buy fertilizers to nourish and mulch soil .
MATERIALS YOU WILL NEED TO COMPOST AT HOME
- COMPOSTER: You can buy a composter from the market or you can make one yourself. I have attached a link below to show you how it can be made at home.
- GREENS: Fruit and vegetable peels, coffee grounds, tea leaves, egg shells, left over food in small quantities( avoid oily food) , grass clipings and garden prunings, etc.
- .BROWNS: Cocopeat, dry leaves, hay, saw dust, wood chips, cardboard, etc.
- ACCELERATOR: Sour buttermilk, curd, cow dung slurry, microbes powder, etc
PROCESS:
-Fill the bottom layer of the composter with browns(4 handful)
-Add a layer of greens(2-3 handful) and spread it evenly.
-To start the process add 2 teaspoons of any accelerator mentioned above and mix everything properly.
-Then again add a layer of browns and cover it with a brown paper to avoid flies.
-Keep on repeating the same process till the container is full
-Add the microbes once a week till the container is full.
-Once it is full then leave it for 45-60 days to turn everything into a crumbly , dark brown compost which is also called “THE BLACK GOLD”
-Once it is done , it can be sieved for better results or it can be used as it is.
MAINTENANCE:
*Make sure to drill some holes in the container before starting(four 10mm holes in the bottom of the container and 3mm holes around the container randomly)
*Place a tray below the container to collect the compost tea which can be used as a fertillizer too.
- Do not add liquids/gravies to the composter
*Chopping larger pieces of food scraps into smaller bits can really be helpful in speeding up the process.
*If there is too much of bugs in the compost bin add some dried neem leaves in between.
*When it’s too moist add some browns and when it’s too dry add some more greens/water to it.
*Always keep the compost bin in a shady area and protect it from heavy rain
