Yves Gagnon explains how simple it is to make your own compost and thus fertilize your soil.
Compost is made up of plant matter (manure, leaves, kitchen scraps). Often, in cities, it is recommended not to put meat scraps in the compost. This is mainly to avoid attracting vermin. But when you are in the countryside, it is less of a problem. There is an ecosystem in place; cats hunt field mice, dogs hunt cats...
The important thing when making compost is to maintain a balance between green and brown matter. Green matter is nitrogenous and moist. This includes manure, kitchen scraps, etc. Brown matter is carbonous and dry. This includes straw, wood, and dead leaves. We want to maintain a balance of approximately one part green matter (nitrogenous) to two parts brown matter (carbonous).
The composting process is fantastic. It cleans and regenerates the material. However, you still have to be careful where you source your compost material because, despite its cleaning power, it doesn't remove any heavy metals that may be present.
Leave a comment