A compost pit uses kitchen waste to create rich fertilizer.
Composting is an easy and effective way to turn kitchen waste into something of value for your garden. Composted materials can save you money on expensive plant feed and have your garden looking its best by providing extra nutrients to the soil. Making a compost pit is not complicated, if you know go about the task. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Find a piece of ground in your backyard that gets sunlight for part of the day. The amount of kitchen scraps you plan to compost, as well as the frequency you intend to compost, will dictate how much space you will need. Two feet by two feet or three feet by three feet will suit most people.
2. Use a shovel to dig a hole measuring the previously mentioned dimensions. The hole should be six to 12 inches deep.
3. Start your compost pit by placing clippings from your garden, vegetable and fruit scraps, and other organic materials from your kitchen in the center of your freshly dug pit. Used coffee grounds, peanut shells and even sawdust can go in your compost pit. Add shredded cardboard or newspaper to the mix as well.
4. Leave the pit alone for about two weeks. At that point, use your shovel to turn the contents of the pit over loosely. Add a shovel full of the soil you originally dug up to make the pit. Make sure not to pack the soil in, as you want air to be able to reach the middle of your pit.
5. Once it’s fully decomposed, so that you can’t distinguish the individual pieces of waste that originally went into it, the compost is ready to use as fertilizer. The time it takes for the compost to become usable fertilizer depends on various conditions, such as the type and quality of your soil and the weather conditions where you live. However, you can expect to have ready-to-use compost in about eight to 10 weeks.
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