What is compost and how do you use it ?

Answer 1

compost is made of garden waste(leaves etc) along with some household waste such as vegetable or fruit peels, coffee grounds, egg shells(no meat or oils or fats). These can be put in a composter or even in a pile in the yard. These things break down and make a wonderful compost you can use around your flowers

Answer 2

Compost can help your garden. It provides a lot of nutrients plants need. Composting is very easy to do. A compost pile can be as small or as large as you want it. You probably don't want to place it near your house or where people sit outside to enjoy the outdoors. I keep mine near the garden for ease of use. I have used old pallets standing on end and staked to the ground on just 3 sides to contain it (though there are many ways to make a compost pile). You can put almost anything on the pile like grass, weeds, old fruits and vegetables, egg shells, coffee grounds, leaves and things like that that will decompose. Things you don't want to put in are things that will not decompose quickly or may not be good for the compost pile like branches and logs, meat and oils and obviously metals.
Just pile it on. mixing any dirt with it is ok too. Watering the pile will help the items to decompose faster. Turn the pile over every week or so.
When you get a pile of "dirt" or it may be on the bottom of the pile if you don't turn the pile so often, you can use that compost to mix in with your soil when you plant, giving your plants a great start.

Answer 3

Compost is a product made from decomposed household foodstuffs (excluding meat and grease/oils). It can also contain grass clippings and other organic matter. It is usually piled up in a contained area or bin and turned over on a set basis. Some use added chemicals to break down the products faster. It is used in lawn and gardens to enrich the soil. One more product of recycling.

Answer 4

Composting is Nature's way of recycling and helps to reduce the amount of waste we put out for the garbage. It's really important because our landfil sites are filling up.

A healthy compost pile will contain the “big four”

1. Browns are carbon rich, dry, woody materials such as fallen leaves, hay, dried plants and weeds.

2. Greens are nitrogen rich, green, moist materials such as kitchen scraps, young weeds, and grass clippings. Your "green" sources will act as the activator in your pile. See the table below for examples.

3. Water your pile until it is moist but not wet, or the consistency of a wrung-out sponge.

4. Air added to your pile will significantly speed up its decomposition. You can do this by turning, or layering with bulky materials to create air spaces between materials



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.

Use compost as an amendment to an existing soil product to increase the final amount of organic matter and/or water holding capacity.
Compost has many desirable characteristics that make it suitable for use in erosion control, such as high water holding capacity.

Uses for compost....

Soil Amending - Mix a 4-6 inch layer of finished compost into newly reclaimed or poor soils. Dig 1-3 inches of compost into garden beds at least once a year.

Mulching - Mulching is a great way to use compost year-round. In dense plantings, spread compost 1-3 inches thick over soil between plants. For weed management in open plantings, spread compost 4-6 inches thick over soil around plants. Do not pile compost against plant stems or tree trunks..

On House Plants - Sprinkle a thin layer of compost on the top of house plant soil to provide nutrients. You can also make a great potting soil by mixing compost with soil, sand and other ingredients.

Answer 5

It's what happens to leaves, twigs, etc. when they die. They have nutrients, but I would strongly recommend to use either good quality potting soil or worm castings for just about anything you're planting. They are LOADED with nutrients. You can get that by dialing 1-800-TOPSOIL from just about anywhere in the country, or look online at www.1800TOPSOIL.com. They have members all over the country who do landscaping and landscape supplies.

Answer 6

its dirt..... duh!