1. Save money! No need to buy chemical fertilizers;
2. Save resources! Get rid of waste without sending a valuable resource into the garbage bin!
3. Improve your soil! The compost returns nutrients into the soil and helps to maintain soil quality and fertility. Compost is a natural fertilizer that won’t burn plants like chemical fertilizers. It improves texture and air circulation for heavier soils.
1. Purchase a compost bin from your municipality or gardening supplies store, or if possible, make one yourself.
2. Prepare the list of matter you are going to compost.
3. Fill the bottom of the bin with a base (2.5 inches) layer of small, dry branches.
4. Place a layer of dry leaves on the base layer (the disposable palm leaf dinnerware can also be used here as effectively).
5. Place 2 parts of the carbon-rich matter (brown or dry matter, might include the disposable wooden cutlery and palm leaf plates) to 1 part of the nitrogen-rich matter (green or wet matter).
6. Add some finished compost from your last composting batch, or add gardening soil on top of the pile to keep the flies out of the compost bin. Some will also do this to add the necessary bacteria, similar to adding a starter to a batch of yogurt.
7. Don't forget to aerate the compost pile using an aerator or a pitchfork every day or so!
8. Check the degree of humidity of your compost pile from time to time. If it is dry, you can add water to the compost until the degree of humidity is similar to that of a wrung-out sponge (not a sponge that would let out water if you wring it out).
Finished compost will be dark, crumbly and smell like earth. Collect it to your compost bin and use it for the sake of your plants!