If you’re at all like me, you didn’t get the garden fully cleaned up before the snow came last fall. That means when it melts, we’re going to have a bit of work to do before it looks presentable.
As you pull out dead annuals, cut back perennials to their new growthand generally clear away dead foliage, consider placing it in a compost pile so it can be reused later in the summer to amend your garden soil.
No matter what kind of garden soil you have, one way to make it more hospitable for your plants is to amend it with organic material such as compost. And one wonderful way to create your own compost is to recycle your garbage and garden scraps.
Each one of us disposes of nearly one ton of waste annually. That’s a lot of landfill space ... unless we recycle kitchen and yard waste into rich, dark compost for personal use.
Just think of the things you bag up for disposal: coffee grounds, grass clippings, leaves, pine needles, table scraps, newspapers. These are all waste items that can be composted for later use in your garden. Composting is an earth-friendly way to dispose of our trash. And it’s a smart way to garden.
Plus, from personal experience, I can tell you it’s economical, too. The cost for purchased compost can add up.
Adding compost improves the drainage and aeration of your soil. It holds moisture in and releases fertilizer nutrients slowly while increasing the activity of earthworms and other organisms that are beneficial to plant growth.
To make compost, layer small pieces of “green” and “brown” waste material. Green waste is fresh plant materials such as weeds from your yard, fruit and vegetable scraps, green leaves, coffee grounds and tea bags, twigs, etc. Use caution when adding very fine green material such as grass clippings since it can mat and prevent air and water movement through the layers.
Brown wastes are dry, dead materials such as straw, dried weeds, newspapers, wood chips or sawdust. (Do not compost wood treated with preservatives or clippings from grass treated with chemicals. Also, don’t use meat or dairy products as these could cause odors and attract animals. It’s also not recommended to use fresh manure in compost because of concerns about new strains of E. coli and other bacteria that cause human illness.
Mix the pile several times per month to add oxygen and keep the heat uniform throughout the materials. Because our summers here are so dry, you also may need to occasionally sprinkle water on your compost layers. It should be moist but not soggy throughout. If the compost is properly mixed and maintained, a final product may be obtained in one to two months under optimum summer conditions. It should shrink to about half of its original size and have a nice earthy smell.
Once the wastes have decomposed, use your compost as a soil amendment, a mulch or make compost tea (the liquid from a settled mix of half compost/half water) as a boost for house plants, seedlings and transplants. You’ll be doing something good for your garden and for your community.
If you aren’t into creating your own compost pile, Twin Enviro Services offers “curbside compostable item” pickup in Steamboat as well as delivery of their locally-made compost.
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