The Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-04-22, Page 73Page 46
Composting will improve soil
Composting is a way to recycle house and
garden vegetable waste into a useful ad:
Calve that will improve the texture and fer-
1 tility of almost any soil.
"'Best of all, composting is easy to do,
costs very little and, providing you follow
i 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 slaw 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-
ate, 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 sit
in a semi -shaded, well -drained area at 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
Composting is easy to do, costs
very little an will improve
a
your sal.
Drainage channels
Fresh material
Slightly decomposed
Partly decomposed
-Nearly decomposed
Patio 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 awn 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 k
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...of plants to
make up your
own containers
let us do it
for you,
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 pi4e at any time.
Fill the bottom of the container with a 30
cm layer of compostable material.
Compress this layer firmly and then cover
witha 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 timend 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. -
Compgsting 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 _St 't,
Toronto, M7A 2B2.
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