Up to half the waste thrown out by the average Aussie household is actually organic material. That’s organic material that could be taking your compost and your garden from drab to ✨ fab ✨
Composting is a big win-win for so many reasons. It’s a sustainable way to dispose of your kitchen scraps and garden waste, and your plants will absolutely love you for it. What’s there not to love?!
Tip 1: Know the difference between (and importance of) your greens & browns
Much like life itself, your compost needs balance to thrive. Composts thrive on a balanced “browns mix” and “greens mix”. Confused? Let us explain…
Greens are rich in nitrogen and protein. This can include grass clippings, coffee grounds and kitchen scraps. These nutrients help to heat a compost pile up and support the microorganisms to multiply quickly.
Browns are carbon or carbohydrate-rich materials. This can include leaves, twigs, straw and paper. The main benefit of these in a compost pile is to be a food source for the soil-dwelling organisms that work hard behind the scenes to break down the contents of your compost pile.
A good ratio of both will allow your compost pile to heat up as necessary - which speeds up the decomposition process! Woohoo!
Tip 2: Turn your compost
It’s important to regularly turn your compost to optimise any microbial activity. This also helps to speed up the process; exposing any greens or browns that haven’t fully decomposed to help them in the process of breaking down.
If your compost becomes anaerobic (lacking air), it will be slimey and wet - which is why turning your compost from time to time helps. Chuck on a bit of Spinning Around by Kylie Minogue as motivation, and get your compost turning perfected!
Tip 3: Make sure the mixture is damp
Moisture is critical to a good compost mix! Too much or too little can slow or sour the process, so you need to make sure it is juuuuust right - right enough that even Goldilocks would give her tick of approval!
Ensuring that your compost pile is damp; not soaked and not dry, is the best composting tip there is! Going through a heatwave? Soak it daily! Middle of Winter? Settle for a weekly soaking.
It takes anywhere between 6-12 months to create a mature compost that is ready to use on your garden to feed your plants all the goodness they need to flourish.
Used these tips on your own compost, or found that your coffee grounds came in handy for your greens mix? We’d love to see! Tag us @podandparcel #PodAndParcel to share.
