If you’ve been keeping up with eco-friendly, organic gardening at all, you’ll have heard about composting. Composting, storing decaying organic matter and turning it into a nutrient rich fertilizer for that can boost your garden and lawn health immensely, has been around since the ancient Romans. It’s a fairly easy process but to make sure you’re getting the most out of your composting efforts, Lehnhoff’s landscaping is here with a few tips on how to best start making your own compost in Baltimore.
The Basics
The underlying principle behind making your own compost is maximizing the production of humus (the black, nutrient rich substance that is the end product of composting) via the methodical layering of materials in a container. Correctly stacking the right materials, coupled with proper watering will make the microorganisms behind the composting process work that much faster.
Container Selection
You don’t need a fancy tank to start making your own compost in Baltimore. You just need a container with adequate storage space, shelter from the rain, and the ability to contain the distinct odor of compost. The mass of a compost pile is critical to the rate at which it decomposes, so you’ll need a container with at least space for a 3’x3’x3’ pile. Containers can be built from anything but should allow easy access for material adding, removal, and pitchfork turning.
Layering Materials
Anything that’s biodegradable can be used in your compost bin, that’s the simple beauty of it. However, Baltimore homeowners should probably avoid meat and animal feces because of the smell. When it comes to materials, most composters agree that a pile should have a 30:1 Carbon-Nitrogen ratio. While few homeowners can accurately measure this and will have to experiment with the ratio that works best for them, it can be easily translated to: you’ll need a lot more carbon filled materials than nitrogenous ones. Carbon based materials are brown and take longer to break down. Some examples include: Fall leaves, newspaper, wood ashes, and sawdust. Nitrogen materials are usually green, break down quickly, and act as the kindling for the slower composting material. Some examples are grass clippings, weeds, coffee grounds, potato peelings, and manure. Alternate layers of nitrogen and carbon-based materials as you layer them in your bin while eyeballing a 30:1 Carbon-Nitrogen ratio.
Routine Care
Taking care of a compost bin in Baltimore is pretty easy. All that it needs is occasional watering to ensure the pile isn’t too dry, and occasional turning with a pitchfork. Turning promotes uniform decomposition in your pile.
Looking for More Composting Tips?
If you’re looking for a professional landscaping company with questions about composting or any other landscaping issues that services Baltimore and the greater Maryland area, then call Lehnhoff’s Landscaping at 443.921.5789 or visit LehnoffsLandscaping.com today and go to our contact page. We offer the greatest service at the most competitive prices available and are happy to help you out with any and all landscaping needs.