What not to compost

What not to compost:

• Bones
• dairy products
• peanut butter
• meat scraps
• fish scraps
• cooking oil
• diseased vegetation
• animal fats
• household pet wastes
• plywood or pressure-treated wood

These items can attract pests, generate foul orders, or infect or contaminate the compost.To aid the decompostion process to avoid attracting flies, and to control odors, bury food scraps 8 inches to 1 foot beneath the surface of the pile. They can also be covered with straw, leaves, or sawdust.

Viral Diseases In Your Garden

Unfortunately, there are a number of common plant ailments that are entirely beyond the control of even the best gardener. Whether you are a casual weekend gardener or a grower of championship blooms, keeping your garden healthy is important. The common bacterial infection known as fireblight, for instance, can easily penetrate plants if it...Click here for more

Remember to Water in Winter

Winter watering is important for evergreens that continue to lose water through their leaves during the winter. Even in winter, sun and wind cause leaves to dry out rapidly. Roots will replace the lost moisture if there is water in the soil and the soil is not completely frozen.

How to add organic matter to Soil

You can add organic matter by digging or tilling it into the surface of the soil, by add green manure crops, or simply by applying mulches and allowing them to break down over time. Five percent organicmatter is a good goal to strive for in your soil. This work out to be one inch of compost or other fine-textured organic material spread over the soil surface. If you are switching to organic methods from chemical give extra help to the struggling microbial populations by applying bacterial cultures that give your soil and compost piles a boost.

Compost Connoisseur's Best Friend

Manures

Animal manures are high in nitrogen and are perfect for getting a compost pile cooking. Cow, goat, cheep, pig, pigeon, chicken, duck, llama and horse manure all make fine compost and can often be obtained from local sources. Dogs and cats, due to possible disease pathogens and are not suitable.

Composting Troubleshooting

Having trouble with your compost? Here are some solutions to try.

1. Pile not composting - too dry- mositen until slighly damp
2. Pile smells rotten and attracts flies- too much woody material-turn, add fresh green materials or organic fertilizer. If you have flies you can also bury your food scraps 6-8 deep instead of just throwing them on the pile.
3. Pile smells like ammonia - too much green material (or food scraps) - turn, add dry or woody materials.

Composting troubleshooting

Some more Hot Compost recipes

Hot Recipes for Compost

Recipe #2

3 parts Dry leaves=high carbon-Brown

1 part Fresh garden weeds=Nitrogen-green

1 part Fresh grass clippings=Nitrogen-green

1 part Food scraps=Nitrogen=green

Mix and let cook add more water if mixture becomes dry.

Composting Recipes

Composting can be viewed a little like cooking. A good recipe will enhance the finished product. The recipe below is based on volume. A pile made up of 25 to 50 % green materials, regularly moistened, will heat up rapidly and become compost faster. Compost Cookbook: 2 parts dry leaves - brown-carbon 2 parts straw or wood shavings-brown- higher carbon 1 part manure-green-high nitrogen 1 part grass clippings-green-nitrogen 1 part fresh garden weeds-green-nitrogen 1 part food scraps-green-high nitrogen Mix up and let cook if it becomes dry moisten with water. feed your plants with compost when done.