Should I buy compost or make it myself?

Question

Should I buy compost or mess around with it myself?

We are starting a veggie garden to feed our small family fresh natural vegetable. I'm not into being dirty and don't have much time to mess around with anything that needs regular care. My hubby will help with garden but he will not touch compost.

I see people abscessed with making own compost? Why wouldn't I just buy it? What are the benefits of self-made compost?

I do have space for it. Our town picks up clippings free.

Answer 1

Compost doesn't take much work.
You just put in kitchen scraps and plants in your pile, water it often, mix it ever now and then, then just stand back and watch it work.

Benefits-
-Yard clippings are usually sent to landfills. If they are, they react with other materials in the landfill, creating a toxin that might contaiminate sources of water.They also don't decompose from lack of oxygen and such, so it takes up a lot of space.
-Compost improves the soil and helps it retain more water, which means you don't have to water your plants as often. It also helps in erosion control.
-Plants in soil with a lot of compost are more resistant to disease.
-It cost less money to make your own instead of buying it.

Answer 2

Nothing to stop one buying compost specially if you mean to start growing straight away,you have the adavantages of organically grown vegetables without the hassels of compost making.A few facts about compost making however ,the organic matter that goes to decompose into compost will take time to break down,it cannot be rushed,space is needed usually for two heaps,one is in the process of breaking down while you start on another,failing which you will need one or two rotary compost bins/No machine is required & turning can be done evry few weeks certainly no more than that,properly built heaps should never smell offensive.The most important requirment is 'Attitude' if you think composting is a good idea then like many enthusiasts you will make the effort,failing which if there is no such inclination,i don't see why one should go through the trouble.

Answer 3

Both. It will take a while to make compost, so buy the stuff you need to get started and get some compost as back up. It is fun watching the compost take shape. Enjoy your green fix.

Answer 4

I don't know what the benefits of self-made compost are, but...speaking based on common sense, wouldn't it really stink up you and your house and take up a lot of your time if you made your own compost? Buy the compost.

Answer 5

I do my own compost. You won't mess around. Read this as it guides you to make the best compost.

Answer 6

QUESTION
What is the role of composting in improving soil?
Indicate what it does and how it is effective and why one would want to improve soil in the first place.

ANSWER
make compost heap from all kitchen wastes and any organic material you can find ,organic,paper,eggshells,bones wet branches tec,

a compost heap will have topsoil after 6 months or so a lot depends on you weather and humidity you can speed it up by
adding red earthworms and turning the compost with a fork to avoid killing the worms or by adding lime and always keep it covered with leaves or .sand or plastic to enhance the humidity(check info on worm,or lombriculture)

i got a compost heap that has been going for 5 years ,tons of cuttings from the garden including coconut palm leaves and bits of trees ,does not seem to get bigger and i still havent got around to using it.

make your compost heap on top of a bowel shaped hole so that the centre is wet and it will consume just about everything.and have it in the shade ,under a tree or put a little roof on it


but more practical is mulching directly on your garden plots

MULCH
what you can do imediatly is to cover the ground with mulch which is the same principal as compost but it includes the whole garden surface
the top part of the soil where the topsoil is being produced houses a world or microbiotic life.

Mulch is organic material green or dry that covers the ground,the thicker the better the composting process will turn it in to black topsoil

the humidity is preserved underneath and promotes the devellopment of worms(their exists no better compost than their excrements)and a variety of micro biotic life which together with the mulch produce more topsoil.

the mulch also keeps the ground temperature even and guards against the impact of the rain ,which would other wise brings salt to the surfave if on unprotected land

Mulch also prevents the soil from drying out because of the sun and, lay it open to wind erosian.

FERTILISER
only use manures and animal urine to fertilise,one can plant plants for mulch on the edges of vegetable plots to be chopped down for green mulch

PEST CONTROL
many weeds have natural properties that are good for insect repellents
another priceless pest control is the silky and bantum chickens which dont rake the ground but only run and eat 70% of all walking and jumping insects and they also leave quit a lot of manure behind ,if you have enough of them

guiny fowel and partridge will do almost the same job
snakes kill rats.iguanas eat a variety of pests

HUMIDITY
One should always shape the land inicially and make it bowel shaped (if small)terassed if on a slope with an edge around it so that it becomes receptive as aposed to repellent of the water that falls on it and to prevent erosion.

if on the flats it should be self draining.but with cannals also bringing water flows into the land from higher up.

I have connected cannals to road gutters to bring more water in.

soil management should be a component of a larger concept
which includes ,waterharvesting (to zero run off)and form
as well as pest control and diversity of plants.

so you dont have to wait for compost to be ready ,first shape the garden ,i always start by making all the garden paths the resulting design gives me the individual plots.
then dig the drainage cannals and put in your irrigation systems
then devellop the individual plots one by one ,put in the plants and as you leave ,cover the ground with a mulch ,so that nowhere the bare soil can be seen .

a good book that has a very large section on soil and some of the things mentioned is
the Permaculture designers manual by Bil Mollison cost about 40 dollars.
and is the best all round book you can get.(tagiari publishing, [e-mail])

Permaculture means permanent agriculture
a concept put forward by Bill Mollisson in the 60`s
which is a complete hand book for environmental design.

With practical solutions for energy systems ,infratructure ,housing,
animal shelter ,water systems and sustainable agricultural practises.
With the world and it`s history as it`s source
From the chinampas of Mexico to the teraced gardens of the Andes.
From the dessert whadis to the steppes of Russia.
Covering all climatic conditions temporal, dessert, humid and dry tropics.
with chapters on soil ,Water harvesting and land design,
Earth working ,Spirals in nature,Trees and water ,utilising energy flows,
Strategy for an alternative nation

this book also has many gardening tips,bio-gas,companion planting and ideas for structures ,how to cool down houses in hot climates ,how to warm up houses in cold climates with out using technology Source(s) some other writers that are on the internet are
david Holmgren
Larry Santoyo
Kirk Hanson

Masanobu Fukuaka has written ,
One-Straw Revolution
The Road Back to Nature
The Natural Way of Farming
http://www.context.org/iclib/ic14/fukuok...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/masanobu_fu...

Simon Henderson
and Bill Molisson.

a representitive of the concept in USA is
Dan Hemenway at [e-mail]
[e-mail]
http://barkingfrogspc.tripod.com/frames....
http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/ypc_catalo...

I am a permaculture consultant for the department of Ecology for the regional government of Guerrero in Mexico

i got a yahoo 360 which has some stuff in English as well as this spaces
http://spaces.msn.com/byderule

Answer 7

the benefits in making your own is that you can have something to do with all the leaves and grass clippings you get year after after. the cost is also another good reason. but if you don't have the space, buy. you also help with the landfill problem unless you bag your clippings and leaves in paper.

Answer 8

you just said you don't have the time to mess around. So buy it. you answered your own question. If you read how to make composed you will find you have to turn it every hour. It is a lot of work. And you have to buy the compose machine if you don't know how to make one

Answer 9

study the ingredients on the potting soil bag. they have diverse characteristics and that they incorporate various issues. if your community nursery includes organic and organic issues, they in all possibility sell compost.