Compost Happens in VS .NET

Draw GS1 - 13 in VS .NET Compost Happens

The cr me de la cr me of organic matter is compost a dark, crumbly mix that you can cook up yourself You may have seen the bumper sticker that reads Compost Happens It really does! Making compost is like making a good stew Add the right amounts of the right ingredients, let them simmer, and it just happens In fact, millions of microorganisms actually do the work, but you can take the credit, if you want The easiest approach to composting is to throw all the organic matter you can get your hands on into a pile and wait This laissez-faire method works it s called cold composting but it s darned slow (On the other hand, ignore ads promising Great Compost in Three Days ) You can speed up decomposition by providing the perfect working conditions for the herd of microorganisms living in your pile When they re working flat-out, your pile s temperature will reach an ideal 160 degrees Fahrenheit

Good ingredients for compost include animal manure, coffee grounds, conifer needles, eggshells, grass clippings, hair, hay, leaves, sawdust, seaweed, shredded newspaper (black and white only), soil, straw, vegetable and fruit scraps, and garden clippings almost any plant matter Compost made with a variety of materials contains the gamut of plant nutrients For fast decomposition, add a mixture of fresh and dry ingredients Fresh materials, sometimes called green matter, are high in nitrogen and include fresh grass clippings, vegetable scraps, animal manures, and fresh plant debris Dried materials, sometimes called brown matter, are high in carbon and include dried leaves, sawdust, straw, and dried plant debris Aim for a ratio of 1:3, one part green matter to three parts brown matter This ratio provides the best environment for decomposing organisms Not everything organic belongs in a compost pile: Don t add bones, meat scraps, or kitchen debris with oil or sauce These items are likely to attract rodents and neighborhood dogs Avoid adding diseased plants The fungi or bacteria may not be killed during the composting process, and you ll just end up spreading the disease when you spread the compost Avoid pet feces It may contain parasites Don t add any vegetation that has been sprayed with a pesticide or herbicide The chemicals may survive the composting process Don t add weeds that are in flower or have gone to seed Most compost piles don t heat up enough to guarantee killing weed seeds

If you re in a rush to have finished compost, try these techniques: Shred or chop materials before you add them to the pile Keep the pile well aerated This one usually means more work; you have to stir or turn the pile, so decide how much of a hurry you re in for finished compost Alternate layers of green and brown ingredients Add an occasional handful of soil, which is full of the same bacteria, fungi, and enzymes that commercial compost starters contain Keep the pile small the ideal size is 3 x 3 x 3 feet Keep your pile damp, but not soggy; the usual description is damp as a wrung-out sponge

Watering with compost tea gives growing plants a nutritional boost To brew, fill any large container half full of compost and half full of warm water (or fill a cloth bag with compost and immerse it in water), as shown in the figure Let the mixture steep for several days and then strain it through a cloth or window-screen wire If you use the bag method, straining is unnecessary Dilute the liquid until it is the color of weak tea before using it to water plants

The simplest compost pile is just that, a freestanding pile Rake up leaves, shred them, and toss them on Or you can use a bin Our favorite is nothing more than three wood pallets, which you should be able to scrounge from local businesses (see Figure 7-3) Turn each on its end and wire (coat hangers work nicely) or nail them together to form a three-sided container Leave the top, bottom, and front open Or you can cover the front with a fourth pallet or wire mesh to keep the compost in and dogs out To build double or triple side-by-side bins, add more pallets