A well made compost heap has various benefits for both the environment and your own garden. They are relatively easy to make and give a sense of satisfaction.
Here are some of the main benefits of a compost heap.
Saves Taking Garden and Kitchen Refuse to Landfill. This will save you time, but also help the environment by reducing strain on landfill sites. You also save petrol and time of taking garden rubbish to local tip.
Provides Excellent Organic Soil Improver. Garden composts is high in trace elements and so helps fertilizes the soil. It is also an excellent soil improver adding much valued humus to the soil. Well rotted garden compost will help any soil, but especially if you have a sandy or clay soil.
Natural Cycle. Composting dead material to put back into the soil, is a natural process of Mother Earth. By composting material, we make our garden more of a living organic entity and can rely less on artificial fertilisers.
Attractive soil conditioner. Some people feel a compost heap is to be kept well hidden, but a well made compost heap needn’t be a source of embarrassment, plus the rotted compost has an attractive and sweet smell to it.
Potential Problems of Compost Heaps.
Rats and other vermin – attracted by cooked food. – Don’t put meat or cooked food on a compost heap, but do put vegetable peelings and other uncooked organic waste.
Odour. A badly made compost heap made start to smell of methane. But, this tends to be compost heaps that become sodden and waterlogged. Solution – put a mix of green material with more woody stems. Provide aeration and cover in excessive rain.
Doesn’t Rot Down. This occurs if the compost heap is badly made. – too wet or too dry, or not enough sources of nitrogen such as grass clippings.
Disease. Don’t compost plants if they are infected with disease as these could be recycled, better to burn or dispose of diseased plants.
See:
