Wednesday 19 Mar 2008
Composting the Royal Way!
Hello Fellow Gardeners,
Compost can be a gardener’s best friend when you are trying to grow a beautiful, natural garden, free of pests and diseases! I’ve read a lot about jeu slots casino gratuitesbonus de casinotelecharger video pokerjeu craps gratuitescomment gagner à la roulette en lignewww geant casino comles meilleures casinos promotionsregole black jackcasino top bonusjeu flash roulette,regle du jeu roulette,jeu roulettepoker video gamebonus casino tropezcertificat bonus casino 770jeux casino sans telechargementtélécharger jeux de casinosjeu casino vipcoupon bonus casinocoupons bonus casino770enquete eurobarre casino on netwww casino on net combaccarat room en ligneblack jack softwarecasino on lignejeu casino 770black jack forjouer au casino sans depotgagner au casino en lignejeu casino gratuicasino en ligne gratuites ,jeux de casino en ligne gratuites ,jeux casino en ligne gratuitescasino 1 heure gratuitescraps ruleswww géant casinos frstrip roulettejouer roulette flash,jeu flash roulette,roulette flashcasino internet,jeux casino sur internet,jeux de casino sur internetcasino argent gratuitescasino blackjack gratuitesjeux de casino machinejeux casino enfantsjouer au casino en lignejack black soundboardjeu sur internetroulette en ligne gratuitesjeu video poker gratuitesmighty slots casinojeux gratuites casino machinecasinos francais en ligneslots machinecasino avec bonuspoker du casino compost over the years, however I’ve never come across a more informative book on the subject than that of “The Elements of Organic Gardening” by HRH The Prince of Wales, and Stephanie Donaldson. This book is truly a must read! It features gorgeous photography, great tips on organic gardening, and not to mention an inside peak at gardening the royal way!
David Howard, HRH Prince Charles’ head gardener, shares with us two different types of compost you can make–aerobic, and anaerobic. Today we will focus on the aerobic, but make sure to check out my next article to find out more on anaerobic compost!
Aerobic Compost
Aerobic decomposition, uses garden waste, straw, and manure to produce a nitrogen rich compost that will not only do wonders for your plants, but the soil as well! Aerobic simply means “with air.” This compost is quick and easy to make! Just follow our handy diagram above!
Just as a note, kitchen waste includes veggies, fruits, and egg shells! One important point is to leave out meat, bones, grease, bread (or other baked goods) and nuts from your compost pile! These will attract rodents. Also if you want to make organic compost, make sure that the material you use has not been sprayed with pesticides or other chemicals!
For a good balanced compost, your compost pile should contain 50% manure and/or straw to 50% dead headed plants and flowers, kitchen waste, or grass clippings (or a combination of the three). Also make sure to keep the compost pile nice and moist to help decomposition.
According to David Howard it is possible to make good compost in 4-6 weeks if you take the time to turn it often. Otherwise if you only turn it once a week it may take up to 12-14 weeks.
If you just let it sit there you are making soil conditioner not compost!
The Elements of Organic Gardening is available through Amazon UK, or you may want to check with your local library to see if they carry it, or if it can be ordered through inter-library loans.
Stay tuned for more information on anaerobic compost!
Happy Gardening,
Marie Suzanne
Marie | general, fertilizing, composting
4 Responses to “ Composting the Royal Way! ”
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[…] you would like to know more about aerobic compost, check out my previous article Composting the Royal Way. Also I highly recommend checking out “The Elements of Organic Gardening” a book by HRH […]
Just to say, I can confirm that rodents - i.e. rats - will be attracted to compost; I have a family of rats living below my compost heap who turn it for me. Unfortunately my cats, who used to be good ratters, are getting on and are less enthusiastic about taking on these squatters than in previous years.
I continue to compost stuff that rats like, however, because the alternative is to throw it into the bin where it joins all the other stuff destined for landfill (and feed rats there instead of in the garden), production of methane and contribute to global warming. Would you rather contribute to landfill or encourage rats in the garden? It’s a hard question.
Does anyone have a suggestion as to a third way of dealing with waste meat, fish, fat, bread, grease and other waste foods attractive to rats? Would a wormery be a good idea?
Why is it that if you “just let it sit there you are making soil conditioner not compost”? I can’t find anything about that on the internet so far.
Hi Suzanne,
What you are doing is called “cold compostingâ€
This means that your compost pile will not reach a temperature of between 150 to 160 degrees of heat so it will not get rid of weed seeds, pest and disease.
Instead it is just naturally decomposing. The rain will cause the nutrients to leach out of your pile. It repeats the process over and over and what ever you have on top of the pile is the most vulnerable.
So you end up with good soil but not nutrient rich compost!
I am not an expert, but this is what I have come across through my research and classes attended on the subject! To make nutrient rich compost the ingredients must be a balance of nitrogen and carbon and natural heat and humidity.
Hope this helps!
Happy Gardening,
Marie Suzanne