Everyone at home generates garbage, in Spain, 524.5 kilos are generated per year per inhabitant. Of that garbage, a large part consists of organic waste (food scraps, peels, peels, plant remains, etc.) which we can recycle at home. It should be noted that we need a well-ventilated space, either in a corner of our garden or on a balcony, although the latter is less advisable.
The main use of compost is to get a good fertilization of the substrate so that the plants have more and better nutrients, although it is also used in landscaping, erosion control, coverings and soil recovery.
In the compost the nitrogen, cellulose and sugars or carbohydrates of the different residues must be balanced. To achieve this, it is important to use several types of materials or waste to compost: some green or “wet” and others drier. It is also advisable to add soil or sand from the garden to the composting process, since the microorganisms it contains will help to decompose the waste that will form the future compost.
Both for composting in heap and in a composter it is very important to alternate these materials in different layers so that a humid and rotten mass does not form inside with the green materials. So that this does not happen, it is also very important to ventilate and homogenize the waste by turning. From the first month of composting, or if the humidity is seen to be too high, it is important to stir with a shovel from time to time to help reduce it.
The compost pile should be as large as possible so that a high temperature is reached inside it that starts fermentation and the transformation of waste into compost. A width and height of more than one meter are sufficient for the right conditions to be met. The length will be the factor that we will vary depending on the quantity that we want to obtain.
First, in contact with the ground, you must put a layer of thick and cellulose-rich materials: dry leaves, twigs or bark. In this way, you will prevent the lower part from rotting as a result of the weight and heat of the upper layers and the gaps between the branches will help the air to circulate and that microorganisms and insects can enter the compost pile. On top of this first layer, add another with the green harvest remains, which are rich in carbohydrates.
The third layer incorporates nitrogen-rich materials, such as manure. Add a thin layer (2-5 cm) of soil. You can later include materials rich in carbonates, to reduce the acidity of the pile, such as chopped eggshells or remnants of algae.
Keep adding layers until you reach the expected height. Once the pile is finished, cover it with dirt or sawdust. Remember that, if you have not previously moistened the “dry” materials, you must water the layers as you build the pile; in addition to adding water from time to time, during the months that the composting process lasts, to maintain humidity, which is essential.
The fermentation process to which our heap of organic material will be exposed will give off quite unpleasant odors, so it is not recommended to do it indoors or on a balcony. To check if the compost is mature, the temperature will be checked, since it will be ambient due to the lack of activity of the microorganisms once the process is finished.
– .
