Newleaf Garden Center

 Composting Articles

Composting Articles When you come right down it, the practice of composting is little more than speeding up and intensifying natural processes. Click on the composting articles below to learn more about converting yard, garden and household waste into soil nourishing compost.

How to Build  the Perfect Compost Bin -

When horticulturists at the University of California Cooperative Extension set out to design the perfect compost bin, they wanted one that was simple to build, easy to use, and efficient at making compost. The bin shown here meets those criteria.

Worm composting -- also known as vermiculture -- is the proverbial win-win situation. It gives you a convenient way to dispose of organic waste, such as vegetable peelings. It saves space in the county landfill, which is good for the environment. It gives worms a happy home and all the free "eats" that they could want.

Brewing Compost Tea - Gardeners all know compost is terrific stuff. But there's something even better than plain old compost, and that's compost tea. As the name implies, compost tea is made by steeping compost in water. It's used as either a foliar spray or a soil drench, depending on where your plant has problems.

Home Composting - Decomposition is at least as old as the soil. The earth itself, as the poet Walt Whitman suggests, is something of a compost pile. "It gives such divine materials to men, and accepts such leavings from them at last." Long before there were people around to observe it, composting was going on in every forest, every meadow, every swamp, and bog, and prairie, and steppe in the world. As Richard Langer says, "Composting is a natural process that began with the first plants on earth and has been going on ever since."

Hot Composting - Active, hot composting is a BATCH process. It differs from passive piles that just "sit there" seemingly forever or "continuous flow systems" where stuff is periodically dumped on top of the material already in the bin and removed from the bottom when it is dark and crumbly.

 Making Compost - Black Gold for Your Organic Garden - Making your own compost is probably the simplest way to ensure high quality compost and save some money. It's really not as complicated as you may think: The many commercial composting bins and containers on the market make it a mess-free and hassle-free process.

Composting in a Small Space - Many New York City residents have no backyard or side yard at all. This doesn't mean you can't compost -- it just means you'll have to pay special attention to your compost bin, to avoid attracting rodents and other vermin or creating any odors that will upset your landlord and neighbors.

The Composting Process - Getting Started - Composting is a wonderful way to recycle your garden debris back into the soil. There is nothing better you can do for your garden. Compost contains beneficial bacteria necessary for plant growth, improves soil texture and provides necessary nutrients for a healthy garden. Composting also relieves pressure on public land fills by reducing the amount of garbage.

Steps to Successful Home Composting - Composting is Nature's way of recycling and helps to reduce the amount of waste we put out for the bin men. By composting kitchen and garden waste you can easily improve the quality of your soil and be well on your way to a more beautiful garden. The following easy guide to home composting will provide you with all the information needed to get the best out of your bin.