Fresh Easy Meals : Recipes For Every Day Meals
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast >
      • Pancakes, Crepes, French Toast and Waffles
      • Egg Dishes
      • Muffins, Coffee Cakes, Scones and More
      • Yogurt & Smoothies
    • Snacks
    • School/Work Lunches
    • Appetizers >
      • Dips and Spreads
    • Soups
    • Salads
    • Sandwiches
    • Main Courses >
      • Beef
      • Chicken >
        • Boneless Skinless Chicken
        • Grilled Chicken
        • Oven Baked Chicken
        • Slow Cooker Chicken
        • Stovetop Chicken Dinners
        • Whole Chicken
      • Fish
      • Meatless Entrees
      • Pasta, Pizza, Chili & Stew
      • Pork
      • Seafood
      • Turkey Breast
      • Kid Friendly Entrees
    • Side Dishes >
      • Couscous
      • Pasta Sides
      • Potatoes
      • Rice >
        • Wild Rice, Spinach and Mushrooms
      • Vegetables
      • Quinoa
    • Desserts
    • Condiments, Dressings and Sauces >
      • Salad Dressing
      • Sauces
      • Dips and Spreads
  • Becky's Tips
  • Culinary Herbs
  • Pantry

Composting

7/26/2012

 
Picture
Compost Bin
If you have a backyard garden of any size it makes a lot of sense to compost. Composting is really simple, you just need to follow few basic steps and you will end up with beautiful nutrient rich organic material to add to your garden soil. You can purchase a composting bin at garden centers and recycling centers fairly inexpensively. You can compost without using a bin but having one makes it more convenient.

Composting Directions:
  1. A compost bin usually has a removable top, vents and a small sliding door on the bottom half so you can remove composted material that sits on the bottom.
  2. Place your compost bin in a convenient location near a door. You will need to place compostable waste in it a few times per week.
  3. Place a small pail or container with a top in the kitchen near your waste bin. Line it with newspaper or a paper towel to keep it clean. The paper products can be composted along with your kitchen scraps.
  4. Chop up larger items like corn cobs, watermelon rinds and any other large scraps. The smaller the pieces, the faster they compost.
  5. After you empty your kitchen scraps into your compost pile make sure you stir it well. Mixing the new with the old. This adds oxygen to the mix which helps it break down.
  6. Add a handful of leaves, pine needles, or other dried yard waste to the pile. This will add carbon and will help reduce the chance of adverse odors and fruit flies. Place the top back on.
  7. Composting can take up to 6 months. This means every every spring and fall you will have wonderful compost to add to your lawn, flower or vegetable garden with very little work on your part.
  8. Composting material should be kept damp. Like a sponge that has been wrung out.

What to Compost
  1. Kitchen Greens: fruit scraps, vegetable scraps, corre grounds, rice, pasta, egg shells, tea bags
  2. Yard Greens: flowers, vegetables, plant trimmings, seaweed, hedge clippings and small amount of grass
  3. Kitchen Browns: coffe filters, paper towels, brown paper bags, shredded paper, napkins, dryer lint, hair, stale bread
  4. Yard Browns: dried leaves, small twigs, chips, hay, dried weeds


What Not to Compost
  • Meat, fish, bones, poultry
  • Dairy products
  • Oils, fats, sauces
  • Ashes
  • Pet waste
  • Diseased plants
  • Mature weeds or flowers with seeds
    Picture

    Becky

    I am combining my Backyard Edible blog to my Fresh Easy Meal website to give you all the information  you need about cooking and growing your own fruit and vegetables on one site. Happy gardening!

    Archives

    November 2012
    July 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012

    Categories

    All
    Fruit
    Gardening Tips
    Garden Tips
    Vegetables

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.