Composting means recycling part of your waste.
Did you know that food waste represents 10 million tons of waste per year in France? In order to avoid this waste, you can install a compost bin which will transform your green and food waste into fertilizer for your garden.
Why make compost?
First of all, compost allows you to recycle food waste and avoid its destruction.
As a gardener, adding natural fertilizer to your plants improves the structure of the soil by mixing different types of soil.
With this natural fertilizer, watering and other fertilizers will be more effective because they are more easily retained in the soil.
Like other fertilizers, adding compost to the soil promotes the activity of micro-organisms in the soil, making the soil more fertile.
How does compost work?
After collecting your green waste and food waste, it should be placed in a composter to decompose.
The waste will be decomposed thanks to micro-organisms (bacteria, fungi...) but also thanks to water and oxygen to transform it into compost.
By mixing the compost regularly, it will be aerated and will facilitate the decomposition of the waste.
The 3 pillars of successful composting
Mix
For a good fertilizer, you need to mix dry and wet materials. You need: 1/2 to 3/4 dry matter and 1/4 to 1/2 wet matter.
Dry matter is dead leaves, dry grass, shredded branches, etc.
Wet matter is food scraps (peelings, coffee grounds, bread, etc.) or freshly mown grass.
Both types of material add nitrogen and carbon to your compost.
Moisture
It is important to monitor the moisture content of the compost.
Water allows the decomposers in the compost to survive. However, if the water content is too high, the decomposition of the waste will be prevented.
To find out the moisture content of your compost, take a handful of soil and close your hand. If the soil keeps its shape and is slightly deformed, the moisture content is good. However, if the soil remains in a block or does not form, the moisture content is too high in the first case and too low in the second.
Aeration
Good aeration of the compost allows for better decomposition of the waste.
Wet and dry materials should be turned regularly for faster and more even decomposition.
In addition, the advantage of regular turning of the compost allows it to be aerated and therefore avoids bad odours.
You must have an essential accessory: the compost aerator.
Our Mermier aerator has a gooseneck which makes it very easy to handle and its head facilitates the mixing of the compost.
Sources :
- Le site de Tom, Tom composte [Web Site]. Accessed on 24th April 2023 : Read the article
- Jardiner autrement, Le compost : Mode d'emploi, 3rd November 2022 [Web Site]. Accessed on 24th April 2023: Read the article
- Jouin, Réussir son compost en toute simplicité, 13th June 2022 [Web Site]. Accessed on 24th April 2023: Read the article
