Composter

If you are interested in using organic matter to enrich your soil, consider a composter. This apparatus is basically a storage device specifically designed to speed up the natural decaying process. This process occurs more slowly in nature, but with a handy device that will store and turn organic refuse, the process is accelerated. Many people scoff at the idea of having a compost spot complaining that it would be stinky, ugly and take up too much space. With a commercial composter, these excuses are put to rest. Gardeners everywhere are learning the benefits of using these devices to cultivate enriching nutrients for their gardens.

Rural gardeners and farmers generally have much more space for the composting process than do gardeners in cities or suburban areas. For backyard gardeners and urban gardeners, less space doesn’t indicate that they should hang up their shovel. Enriching the soil will make healthier gardens, resulting in more colorful flowers and bounteous produce. Recently, the gardening movement has moved forward in leaps and bounds. These days, most neighborhoods include people who enjoy gardening in some form. This rally for gardens has spurred on the development of gardening supplies, such as composters.

The push for ecologically renewable resources has lead many gardeners to organic gardening and the use of natural matter to enrich their soil. Composting is a natural process that can be aided tremendously by the use of composters. Large plastic bins or barrel shaped drums are the most prevalent storage receptacles in which to store decaying matter. The cylindrical drums offer the added bonus of being mounted and turnable. Turning compost is vital and so a composter that turns with the simplicity of a handle is a great choice.

It is important to know which matter to use and which to avoid. Dried leaves form a great dry carbon base with which to supplement the soil. When you add kitchen scraps, such as fruit and vegetable peelings, be sure that you also have three times as much carbon filled items such as dried leaves to balance the nitrogen in the fruits and vegetables.

Additionally it is important to not keep adding in ingredients. Put everything together at once and let it begin the process of decaying. If you continue to add leftovers or yard clippings, you will have inconsistent and varying levels of decay in the mix. Inconsistency will not yield the healthiest and most vibrant plants.

Take special care to not put leftover animal products into your pile. Animal products, such as meat and bones will invite other animals to disturb your yard and pillage your pile. You may use add egg shells, but it is best to add them crushed. Other items such as corn cobs or pruned shrubbery clippings should be cut into smaller sized pieces before adding it to the heap.

A tumbler version of a composter is a simple solution for urban and suburban gardeners. There are several reasons that this version is great for gardeners, specifically those with smaller sized gardens. They include the following.

• It is a space saving mechanism that is supported and off of the ground.
• The drum shape allows it to turn, in order to mix the organic matter well.
• There is generally a door or hatch that opens, making it easy to move the mixture to a wheelbarrow or empty it directly onto the soil.

Once the a composter is filled with carbon rich and nitrogen rich matter, it simply requires time and a few turns of the handle to keep the process moving along. You may want to add a little water if the mixture is dry. Nature does the hardest work of breaking down the matter into a rich soil supplement. This process would generally take a couple of years to happen naturally, with the aid of a composter, it is accelerated to a few weeks’ time.