HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1987-04-15, Page 74Page 86
Composting will improve soil
Composting is a way to recycle house and
garden vegetable waste into a useful ad-
ditive that will improve the texture and fer-
tility of almost any soil.
"Best of all, composting is easy to do,
costs very little and, providing you follow
certain guidlines, the composted material
will not smell,". says Horticulturist Anna
Ballantyne of the Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture and Food's Consumer Informa-
tion Centre in Toronto.
Composting can be done in a pile, a
homemade bin or in a commercial
composter.
A pile is an easy way to start, but it re-
quires more work once it is established; it is
difficult to construct neatly, is slow to break
down, and needs to be turned at least once to
ensure that the outside decomposes.
A homemade bin can be made out of
almost any kind of scrap wood.
But if you use solid materials, be sure to
place holes in the wood to allow air to cir-
culate, make the holes about three cen-
timetres in diameter and space them about
15 cm to 20 cm apart.
Or you could build your compost bin out of
wood and chicken wire; simply build a
wooden frame and then cover with wire
mesh.
A container about one metre long, one
metre wide and one metre high should be
large enough to hold the compostable waste
from an average -sized family.
Choosing a good location for your com-
poster is important too. It should be situated
in a semi -shaded, well -drained area that is
hidden from view, but close enough to the
house that it is easily accessible.
Compost anything from egg shells and
vegetable peelings to leaves and grass
Cos 3 posting is easy to do, costs
very little and will improve
yd ur sols
SoI
Draipage channels
Fresh material
Slightly decomposed
PcIrtly decomposed
Nearly decomposed
Pato slabs or well
drained soil
PHOTO D
HOMEMADE BIN — Recycle house and garden vegetable waste into a useful additive that
will improve the texture and fertility of almost any soil_ Building your own compost bin is
relatively easy to do and providing you follow certain guidelines, the composted material will
not smell. Shown here is a cross-section of a homemade bin. (photo from Agriculture
Canada's Publication 1681).
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clippings.
"But don't add meat and dairy products
because these will emit bad odors and at-
tract rodents. And diseased plants and
weeds that have gone to seed are best
disposed of in the garbage," Ballantyne
says.
You can start a compost pile at any time.
Fill the bottom of the container with a 30
cm layer of compostable material.
Compress this layer firmly and then cover
with a layer of fertile soil; the soil is a food
source for the micro-organisms that are
breaking down the compost.
As additional material becomes availabe.
add it to the pile, then compact it and apply
another layer of fertile soil.
If the material is dry, wet it down
thoroughly.
"It is important to keep the compost pile
moist at all times and to turn the outsides of
the compost to the centre at least twice dur-
ing the summer to ensure even breakdown
of the material," she says.
Composting of most materials should take
about three to four months.
If you dig down below the surface layer
and discover a dark -brown black material
that looks almost like soil, the compost is
ready for use.
Add the compost to your garden soil or use
it as a mulch around shrubs and perennials.
Compost can also be used as a basis for
potting soil or as a soil mix for window boxes
and hanging baskets.
For more information contact your local
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food of-
fice for Factsheet No. 79-016, "Composting
in the home garden", or write to the Con-
sumer Information Centre, 801 Bay Steet,
Toronto, M7A 2B2.
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