How to make compost from kitchen waste at home
Are you planning to grow your food by having a kitchen garden? Then knowing how to make compost can help you to nourish your plants. Although garden stores sell them, homemade compost is cost-effective and helps to recycle your kitchen waste. It is quite easy and you don’t have to spend a lot of money on buying the necessary tools.
You can make nutrient-rich compost by following these simple steps.
How to make compost from kitchen waste at home
- Picking a good compost bin.
Making compost in a bin is a fast and effective way. You can easily make it in a bin because the heat conserved helps in speeding up the composting process.
You can choose the size of the bin based on the amount of compost you need for your plants. - Locate a good spot to place your bin
Choose a spot that receives good sunlight. This can help in speeding up the composting process by generating more heat.
- Start filling the compost bin
Start filling the bin with some garden soil that contains decomposing earthworms. Then add a layer of kitchen waste, grass clippings, twigs, leaves and straw. You can then add a layer of sand. Then add another layer of biodegradable waste. Then cover it with a layer of sand. Continue this process until the bin is full.
Adding a certain proportion of manure is essential as it is rich in nutrients that makes the soil fertile and help plants to grow fast. Besides nitrogen, plants also need phosphorous, potassium, calcium and other nutrients to grow well. These nutrients can be found in banana peels, eggshells, peanut shells, watermelon rinds etc. - Watering the compost timely
If the bin is too dry, it is an indication that there is too much brown material. In this case, gently moisten it by adding water. You can also add some green material if the compost becomes too dry.
- Turning the compost timely
Turning the compost once in a week can improve aeration and help in proper combination of nutrients.
In most cases, compost made in bins decomposes in 3 months if the materials are added in an even proportion. You will know that it is ready when it becomes dark and crumbly releasing a pleasant odour similar to the earth. You can then add it to your plants.
Adding certain materials to your bin can ruin your compost. It is important to know what you should not add. Do not add meat, bone scraps, cat faeces, dog faeces and whole eggs. This can make your compost smell and it attracts a lot of pests.
Conclusion
Making your compost can have a variety of benefits. Remembering important points while making it is needed to prevent any kind of contamination or pest attacks. Hope you found this article useful.