From Kitchen Scraps to Garden Gold:
The Ultimate Guide to Composting
When it comes to gardening, good soil is the foundation of a thriving garden. Many gardeners often find themselves bogged down with questions about fertilizers, pH levels, tilling, manure, and mulching. However, in an Easy Urban Garden, the solution is simpler: homemade "magical" growing medium and good compost.
The Magic of No-Dig Gardening
In an Easy Urban Garden, we embrace the concept of no-dig gardening. This means we leave the natural soil untouched, as we grow our vegetables in raised beds. Whether your raised bed is directly on the ground or elevated on legs, this method eliminates the need for digging, tilling, or mulching. Instead, the focus is on creating a robust growing medium.
Crafting Your Perfect Soil Mix
To cultivate a productive and easy-to-manage garden, you'll need to prepare a special soil mixture. This involves getting your hands a bit dirty, but the results are well worth the effort. Here’s what you need:
1/3 Sustainable Peat Moss or Organic Peat Replacement: Coconut coir is a great alternative, but locally available peat replacements made from coconut fibers and wood fibers work well too.
1/3 Coarse Vermiculite (3-6 mm): Vermiculite is a natural, non-toxic mineral that retains water while allowing air flow.
1/3 Good Organic Compost: The key to healthy soil and plants.
Making Your Own Compost
Creating good compost is an art that requires the right balance of materials and regular maintenance. Here’s a simple guide:
Space: You need at least 90x90x90cm (3x3x3 feet), but ideally 120x120x120cm (4x4x4 feet).
Mix: Combine a variety of plant-based materials. Ensure bulk materials like grass and leaves are dried.
Mash: Chop materials into fine pieces to speed up decomposition.
Moist: Keep your compost moist, not wet.
Move: Regularly turn the pile to aerate and mix it, promoting faster composting.
Your compost is ready when it becomes a dark, crumbly substance often referred to as "black gold."
Ideal Materials for Composting
Good Materials: Straw, hay, leaves, grass clippings (dried), vegetable and fruit peels, shredded newspaper or cardboard egg boxes, crushed eggshells, organic tea bags, and garden produce free of diseases or pests.
Supplementary Materials: Shredded twigs, bark, pine needles, hedge trimmings, wood shavings, sawdust, coffee grounds, and peanut shells in smaller quantities.
Avoid: Diseased or pest-infested materials, meat, bones, grease, whole eggs, cheese, seeds, fruit pits, pet manure, bakery products, dairy, and general kitchen scraps.
Urban Gardening: Compost Solutions for City Dwellers
If you live in an urban area with limited space, consider using a worm tower to recycle your kitchen scraps. For larger compost needs, buying good compost can be challenging but manageable:
Choose Organic: Avoid hidden toxins and pesticides.
Look for Diversity: Opt for compost made from a variety of materials, including woody trimmings, grass, leaves, and kitchen scraps.
Mix It Up: If you can’t find a diverse compost, buy several brands and mix them.
Maintaining Your Garden Soil
Once you’ve created your ideal soil mix, it can last for years. In my own garden, the mix has been going strong for over eight years. After harvesting, simply add a trowel of fresh compost to replenish nutrients.
For more gardening tips and to see these practices in action, check out my garden show "Spilling the GREEN Beans" on YouTube.
By following these guidelines, you can ensure your Easy Urban Garden thrives with minimal effort, providing you with bountiful, healthy produce season after season.
Happy gardening!