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Are you growing your own vegetables? Fresh-picked produce tastes so much better than what is in the supermarket. One way to grow bigger and better vegetables is to enrich your soil with compost. It's the best natural fertilizer and contains no artificial chemicals.
Heres a guide on how to make your own compost:
* Pick a spot for your compost bin. You want to be able to access it year round so don't put it too far from the house.
* Save all the fruit and vegetable scraps from your kitchen. Plant matter is the main ingredient of compost. Anything vegetable goes in, including coffee grounds and tea bags. Do not add meat, dairy or oils. Paper towels and napkins are fine as long as there are no oils or chemicals on them.
* Store your scraps in a lidded bucket, like a cat biscuit pail, and take it out when it's full. Line the bottom of the bucket with a piece of paper towel to make dumping out easier. Keep adding new scraps to the pile.
* Leaves, grass clippings, weeds, straw and wood chips can go into your compost. Avoid diseased plants and weeds that have gone to seed. Never put cat litter or dog waste in your compost.
* Turn your pile once a week if you can. It will speed up the process. As plant matter decomposes it gives off heat. In the winter, you might notice it steaming. You'll also see loads of red wriggler worms. These guys are chomping through your scraps and turning them into compost.
* You'll want to keep your pile moist so if it's in the sun, spray it with a hose occasionally.
* Your compost will be ready to use when it looks like rich black soil. Dig it in around existing plants and watch them grow better than ever.
Are you composting your kitchen scraps? You'll cut down on your garbage!
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