Composting is the process of decomposing organic or plant waste into a rich, natural soil (compost). This technique allows you to create your own fertiliser and feed your garden without the use of chemicals. It also means you can recycle your putrescible waste and reduce the cost of rubbish collection for local authorities. Compost is a man-made process and humus is a natural process. It's a second life for your peelings!
What can be composted?
There are several types of waste for compost:
- Garden waste (sawdust, dead leaves, wood ash)
- Kitchen waste (peelings, eggshells, various leftovers)
- Household waste (newspaper, tissues, wilted bouquets)
For successful composting, however, the following are prohibited: branches that are too large, citrus peel, plastics, metals, glass and dairy products with polluting or toxic substances such as household products.
Your compost shouldn't be too dry, too wet or too smelly.
How do you compost?
For a good compost, you need to strike a balance between green waste (kitchen and garden waste) and brown waste (tea bags, wood shavings, dead leaves, coffee grounds).
It's important to aerate your waste so that the air can circulate. If your compost smells very bad, it's because it lacks oxygen, so stir the air regularly. Insects, earthworms, fungi and bacteria make an important contribution to the ripening of your compost, because it ripens more quickly. They oxygenate the waste and encourage decomposition.
It's important to mix your compost from time to time to harmonise it, and to water it to prevent it becoming too dry or bringing in damp waste.
The right composting equipment :
Composting is very simple. You can opt for a compost bin or make a heap. You'll find compost bins (made of wood, metal or plastic) in specialist shops (such as Jardiland) or you can make your own, with or without a lid and without a bottom, in direct contact with the soil (garden).
You can also get a waste shredder to shred your waste, or you can cut and slice it yourself. Shredding is important because large pieces of rubbish will not decompose.
You can opt for a table-top composter, which will save you trips to the big composter in the garden. Also, be careful if you opt for compost in a heap, as your pets may be likely to ingest it.
If you don't have a garden, you should know that vermicomposters are perfectly sized for balconies.
Know when your compost is ripe
The best times to compost are in autumn to protect your crops and in spring for maintenance. Your compost is ready to use when it is dry, granular and odourless. It takes between three and five months for your compost to mature, but this can vary depending on the process and method used.
Maintenance of gardens and green spaces
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