How to make a compost pile – six essential ingredients

Recommendation points

• Food waste
• Eggshell
• Coffee grounds and tea leaves
• Cut grass and other plant debris
• Foliage
• Hay and straw

For many, it still remains a secret how to make a compost heap, and how ordinary household waste can suddenly become an excellent fertilizer. Let’s talk about how exactly a compost heap should be prepared so that it really becomes a useful bait for plants in the garden..

The process itself seems simple at the same time – it is enough to constantly pile up garbage and leftovers from the kitchen, and difficult – how can a variety of garbage suddenly become compost? In fact, if you figure it out, the sequence of actions is quite simple, it is enough to understand which products are best for the compost heap. So, here are the six essential ingredients for a good compost heap..

Food waste

Everything that remains after cooking dishes from vegetables, fruits and herbs is perfect as the first component of high-quality fertilizer. Scraps, peels and leftover pulp can all create discomfort in the kitchen in the form of unpleasant odors or attract too much attention from insects, or be ideal filling in a compost heap. At the same time, it is advisable to separate fat and meat residues from plant foods. The latter can attract undue attention of animals, such as cats or small rodents..

Eggshell

This is the second amazing component for the compost heap. The shells are rich in minerals and trace elements that your garden plants will love. The effect of using eggshells can be seen without even throwing them on the compost heap, just crush and distribute them in the holes before planting flowers or shrubs – the plants will grow much more actively. In the compost heap, the shells are usually distributed in layers, so that for greater effect, the shells can be collected separately in a box or bag and once a month or two poured onto the compost heap..

Coffee grounds and tea leaves

How many problems are created by coffee grounds and brewing, if it is flushed down the drain. However, on the compost heap, they are very useful. This is another source of beneficial elements for plants, and at the same time, an excellent environment for the development of beneficial bacteria that process waste into humus..

Cut grass and other plant debris

Don’t forget that grass clippings, sawdust or shredded tree branches are great additions to a compost heap, especially after a shredder. Mixed with food residues, they will rot faster and become the basis of future compost. You just have to pay close attention to the content of weeds in the plant component. Their vitality sometimes simply has no boundaries, and even a piece of a root or a twig can ruin the whole effect of humus if the growth of a harmful plant clogs a garden or vegetable garden.

Foliage

In autumn, the leaves become the main filler of the compost heap in terms of volume, and for good reason. Dead foliage quickly decays and makes the future compost loose and pliable.

Hay and straw

In addition to leaves, chopped straw is an excellent filler. Grain stalks quickly rot and fill the compost with a basic set of essential elements for plants.