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Silo pit with your own hands in the country. Do-it-yourself compost pit options: self-production with photo and video instructions. What can be put in compost

In the country there is always a lot of waste that can be easily turned into fertilizer. All that is required is a compost heap or a do-it-yourself compost pit in which you need to regularly collect plants and organic waste. After two seasons, they will rot and turn into compost, suitable for fertilizing all garden plants and the garden. Detailed instructions how to properly build a compost pit and heap can be found in the article below.

Benefits of using compost in your backyard

Although composting is time consuming, the effort is always worth it. The advantages of making compost in a compost pit with your own hands are as follows:

Environmental friendliness. Compost is a natural fertilizer for plants.
Soil improvement. Through the use of compost clay soils become looser, let in more air. If on suburban area a lot of sand, thanks to the compost, it will retain more moisture, which will increase its fertility.
No need to pay money. Compost can be obtained free of charge from food waste and plants that grow in a summer cottage. But you will have to pay for manure and mineral fertilizers.
The ability to usefully dispose of organic waste and keep the site clean. Grass, weeds and leaves in any case will grow in the summer cottage and to maintain cleanliness they must be taken out or burned somewhere. If you dump them in a compost pit or on a compost heap, useful compost is formed without any extra effort, and it will turn into an attractive place for relaxing and growing vegetables.

How to make a compost pit and a pile with your own hands?

First of all, it should be noted that a compost pit and a compost heap are not very good ideas for making compost. If you create a waste pit directly in the soil, it will take a very long time to create compost, as the rotting process will slow down due to the presence of moisture and lack of ventilation. If you simply pour organic waste in the form of a heap, the decay process will proceed unevenly, a lot of heat will go into the atmosphere.

A proper compost pit or heap is a structure (box) made of wooden boards, 50 cm deep into the soil, and 1 meter raised above the ground. Inside such a box, it is necessary to throw organic waste and garbage from the summer cottage. Under the influence of heat, it will gradually begin to rot and after six months, nutritious compost is formed from the garbage.

But before you make a compost pit, you need to remember a few rules:

To enhance the process of decay, a compost box must be built in a shady place away from home (it is worth remembering that very bad smell). You should not organize a compost pit next to trees - an excess of nutrients in the soil can provoke their death.
The compost pit should be located at a distance of 25 meters from the well so that the substances formed during the decay process do not enter the drinking water. But it can draw water from a well located in close proximity to the compost pit.
Do not make a compost heap at the place where water is collected. This will slow down the composting process.
The ideal dimensions of the pit are 1.5 by 2 meters. If you make the pit small, the waste in it will not warm up, and the process of decay will be slow. A very large hole will require a lot of waste.
The compost pit is recommended to be divided into 2 sections. The first section can be used immediately after construction, and the second should begin to throw away waste only from next year.
Polyethylene should not be laid at the bottom of the pit. It is better to throw hay or small branches there.
From above compost pit it is necessary to build a cover or cover it with a piece of roofing material. Can be used for mulching.
Approximately twice a month, the contents of the pit must be mixed so that the rotting process proceeds evenly.

You can use compost from a do-it-yourself compost pit in the new season. But to make it as nutritious as possible, rotting should last at least 2 years.

What kind of waste can be sent to the compost pit and compost heap?

A do-it-yourself compost pit is intended only for plant waste. You can drop it there:

leaves and thin branches that are raked from under the trees;
sawdust, shavings and bark;
cotton rags;
cardboard and paper;
plant roots;
ash;
cut grass;
flower stems;
all food waste plant origin including tea bags and eggshell;
scraps of pet hair.

The compost heap should not contain animal products and animal feces, mineral fertilizers, weeds on which seeds have already ripened. Plants with a long period of decay should not be present in the compost (these include potato and tomato tops). Also, do not throw bushes of plants affected by diseases into the compost pit - it is better to dry them and burn them right on the beds.

Everyone knows the truth - plants develop best and bear fruit on fertile soil. But where to get it, if plants are planted on the site from year to year that absorb useful material from the earth. To nourish the soil, many chemicals have been created. But do not forget that this is chemistry, and everything that you put into the soil will also go into the crop. But there is an alternative - make your own compost.

What is compost and how to make it yourself

"What is compost and how to make it?" - such a question is often asked by novice gardeners. Compost is an organic fertilizer obtained by the decomposition of various raw materials of plant or animal origin.

You can make your own compost at your summer cottage. There are two options for the manufacture of natural fertilizers for the garden.

Compost heap. This is the most common way to get compost, it is also cheap and easy. You will need to make the frame in such a way that air and moisture get inside. best material for the manufacture will be a wire mesh. Preparation of compost from the beginning of laying and until full maturation takes place in time from six months to 9 months.

Compost heap at home

In a special box for obtaining organic fertilizers. You can buy it in the store departments "Garden-Ogorod". Such a device is protected from ingress of insects. Inside the box is a drum that turns the substance. In addition, in the middle of the container there is a hose for moistening the waste.

How to make compost?

Experienced gardeners recommend preparing organics with their own hands. Options that give the most effective results Is it a compost heap or compost pit. In these cases, the decomposition of waste, their decay, is best of all, because inside the layers the temperature and humidity are practically unchanged. The timing of the maturation of organic matter directly depends on the volume of filling: the most filled pits and large ones become more quickly ready for use.

Compost heaps with the following parameters are considered the most acceptable:

width - 1.5 m;
length - 2 m;
depth is about a meter.

You can double the size and make two compartments: one for storing finished compost, the second for laying a new one.

Placing a compost heap is also possible directly on the ground. It will also be well ventilated in natural conditions. Excess moisture must be avoided. Putting waste in a pile, do not get carried away, the optimal dimensions for it:

base perimeter - 1x1 m;
in height - 1 m 20 cm.

compost box

Necessary ingredients for a normal composting process:

oxygen;
water;
nitrogen.

In the presence of these factors, beneficial bacteria begin to act, which are involved in the course of decomposition, and thus composting occurs.

How to start preparing compost?

Before starting composting, you need to prepare a shallow pit (approximately the depth of a spade bayonet). The lowest layer in the pit should be small twigs cut from fruit bushes or trees. This layer performs the function of drainage, allowing excess fluid to flow down.

If you already have ready-made compost, then a small part of it should be placed on the branches. This will speed up the decomposition process, beneficial bacteria from the finished humus will fall into new layers. For all subsequent layers, food plant waste or grass, leaves from the site are used. They are evenly distributed on the surface, trying to tamp, and watered. Sprinkle with earth on top.

So that the pile does not fall apart and is not carried by the wind, it is worth enclosing it with a fence of boards or wire mesh with large cells. From above it is covered with a special covering material (spunbond), in extreme cases, straw is used. So we got a ready-made composter with our own hands.

Making compost for the garden

What are the components of compost?

Compost is a natural nutrient that helps restore soil structure and increase its fertility. But first you need to know how to properly compost. T It is required to create certain conditions for composting to proceed normally:

Creating an optimal moist environment inside the compost heap. It should approach the readings from 45 to 70%. But if it is not possible to measure the humidity readings, then this is done "by eye" - the normal moisture of the substance resembles a squeezed sponge. The temperature indicator is also important - in the range of 28–35 degrees. Over-dried waste will not decompose, and too wet waste will begin to rot. In hot and dry weather conditions, the compost needs watering. If it constantly rains, then you should definitely turn over the contents of the pit. Overheating of the substrate over 60 degrees is unacceptable, because at this temperature regime all beneficial bacteria die.
A prerequisite is the access of oxygen to all layers of the compost heap. To do this, it constantly (about 2 times a month) needs to be shoveled, and the lower layers should be lifted up, the side layers should be moved to the center.
The presence of bacteria and earthworms in the compost pit will have a positive effect on the process of composting biomaterials. They are involved in the decomposition of waste.

Observing all the conditions, you can make compost in the country with your own hands quickly and easily.

What ingredients can be used to make compost?

We learned how to make compost, now we need to figure out which ingredients are suitable for this. Symbolically, all components can be attributed to two varieties:

Components with an increased level of nitrogen, otherwise they are called green mass. These include:

cultivated herbs;
massive parts of vegetable and fruit plants;

Making green compost

food waste of plant origin;
bird droppings, pet manure.

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This content stabilizes the carbon and nitrogen balance of humus:

Components containing carbon or brown mass. This includes sawdust from trees, straw, fallen leaves, cut branches, crushed and soaked cardboard and paper waste. They are high in fiber, which is food for beneficial bacteria. These components are also involved in loosening the biomaterial and saturating it with useful substances.

Before laying all the components in the compost heap, they need to be crushed. Then the processing time will be reduced. It is also important to make the correct bookmark, alternating a layer of green mass with a layer of brown. This layered arrangement will saturate the compost with oxygen and accelerate its maturation.

What is better not to add

To understand how to make compost good quality, you need to remember the main rule - do not put invalid components in it:

In no case do not add plant mass from diseased plants, infections do not die during composting.
Do not use large branches and other bulky pieces of trees for bookmarking, they decompose for a long time and slow down the ripening of humus.
Weeds with seeds, even if the seeds are not yet ripe.
Do not use synthetics, plastic, glass, glossy paper for pits.

Do not throw bottles into the compost pit

Organic waste that is difficult to decompose - bones, fat, lard.
The use of citrus waste is unacceptable - beneficial bacteria and insects die from them.
You can not use the tops of potatoes and tomatoes, lily of the valley, castor beans - they contain toxic components that destroy some valuable microorganisms, decomposition slows down.

How to check compost readiness

Ripe compost has some characteristics:

the substance inside the compost heap looks solid, there are no single components in it (leaves, stems, peelings, etc.), only thin branches can be seen;
organics acquire a dark brown color, sometimes black;
humus smells like forest soil after rain;
in terms of density, the mass becomes loose, it pours well.

In general, mature compost resembles black soil, sometimes incompletely decomposed particles are found in it, it is because of them that the porosity and friability of the organic mass is obtained.

How to cause rapid maturation of humus?

Usually, as already noted, the compost becomes ready in 6-9 months. But if you urgently need to speed up the process, then there are some tricks:

Herbal infusion. Take 5 shares of finely chopped herbs, combine with 2 shares of chicken manure and add 20 shares of water. Stir and stand for several days.

Herbal infusion for compost

Regular baking yeast will also speed up the preparation of the humus. A tablespoon of dry yeast should be dissolved in a liter of warm water, add 200 g of granulated sugar. The liquid is ready. It moistens the contents of the compost heap.
The use of special preparations (biodestructors) helps. They consist of organic matter and include many bacteria, which is why the composting process is accelerated. In the store departments you can find "Baikal-Em", "Shine" and other similar products.

Unforeseen situations during the maturation of organic matter

Sometimes when preparing humus with your own hands, there are small problems. How to be in such cases? Here are some examples:

If there are ants in the heap, it means that it is very dry inside, decomposition has slowed down. It is necessary to loosen the contents and water abundantly.
If mushroom mosquitoes are noticed above the compost, then take a closer look at their numbers. With a small number of them, do not worry, these midges are always in such places. But if there are quite a lot of them, then this is a sign of waterlogging the heap. Wait for a hot, dry day and air out the compost by removing the lid for a couple of days. You can also add fine clean sand from the river (dry) or sawdust.
If the pit smells unpleasant, and the substance itself is mucous to the touch, then this indicates the presence a large number components of plant origin. It is necessary to balance the balance by adding solid components - crushed cardboard or paper, leaves, small branches, straw.
If nothing changes with the compost heap, then it must have dried up. In this case, the introduction of fresh herbal vegetation or potato peelings will help to solve the problem, while moistening all the contents.

How to use compost?

Ready compost is used for all plants twice a year - in spring and autumn. They are added during digging the site, when transplanting trees and shrubs they put them in holes, when planting seedlings they add them to the beds. It is also used as a mulching material.

The amount of compost is the same as the amount of manure, that is, 15–20 kg of organic matter per square meter.

It is also possible to use mature compost in summer. It is suitable as a mulch and as an infusion for nourishing vegetation.

There is a place for the use of immature biomaterial. In the first autumn days, liquid fertilizer is prepared from 3-month-old humus. To do this, 1/3 of water is added to 2/3 parts of the unripe substance, insisted in heat for 72 hours. Most well perceived by tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, beans, beans. Apply with daily watering.

On heavy soils with a high content of clay, the autumn application of unripe humus directly into the upper layers of the soil will help. During the cold period, the mass will overheat, and in the spring it will appear earthworms and will act as leavening agents for the beds.

Every summer resident and owner of a private household, who has been growing vegetables in his own garden for more than a year, knows that the land tends to be depleted, while the yield and quality of garden products are reduced. Naturally, the limited area of the land plot does not make it possible to carry out a full-fledged crop rotation, leaving some part of it unused for a year or two: in this case, the soil is, as they say, “fallow” and has the opportunity to restore its fertile potential. We have to solve the issue by fertilizing the soil, and here many have different kind Problems.

All (or almost all) issues related to soil improvement can be solved with the help of such a wonderful substance as compost.

This is a very effective natural fertilizer that can be produced without any financial costs in natural conditions literally from nothing, more precisely, from garbage that is usually burned or thrown away.

It is only necessary to make a little effort to create optimal production conditions - to make compost pit. Next, we'll show you how.

If to speak plain language, then compost is the result of the process of decomposition of organic waste with the help of microorganisms and the obligatory access of oxygen in conditions of sufficient humidity and biological heat. An important role in the formation of high-quality compost is played by earthworms and dung worms.

Immediately make a reservation that the process of formation (ripening) of compost is quite long and without the use of special auxiliary compounds lasts from one and a half to two years. In rare cases, when creating the best natural conditions, it is possible to get good compost in a year, but this process does not tolerate haste, especially since, if the process is properly organized, it will be possible to receive a portion of fertilizer almost annually in the future.

The multilayer structure of the compost mass. Below - a drainage layer of large branches, above - a fresh layer of household waste

So, we mentioned that ordinary garbage and organic waste are used to create compost. This is true, and the arrangement of the compost pit will allow you to solve two pressing issues at once - to dispose of most of the household waste and to get a quality soil conditioner.

In the compost pit you will throw:

fallen leaves;
cut grass;
dry branches from trees and shrubs, roots, wood waste;
withered tops from the garden;
potato (beetroot, carrot, etc.) peels, banana peels, apple peels, etc. bits, half-eaten salads, tea leaves, coffee grounds and other waste from the kitchen and dining table;
paper and cardboard waste.

At the same time, you must remember that everything placed in the compost pit must be shredded (especially wood, paper, cardboard), free of paint and varnish coatings and any fats.

You should not place such items as meat, bones, animal intestines, cabbage leaves and dairy products (they rot and form a very bad smell), vegetable stalks affected by late blight and other diseases, as well as weeds - it is still better to burn them in order to there were no problems in the future. Many experts do not recommend throwing pet excrement into a compost pit, since they may contain helminth eggs (worms), which, although they should die from the heat generated inside the compost mass (from 40 ° C to 70 ° C), no one will give such a guarantee, so better beware. Naturally, plastic, rubber, metal and objects made of synthetic materials will not decompose in any way in the compost, which will remain garbage and then end up in your garden.

Making a compost pit with your own hands

For our purposes, it makes sense to talk about three types of compost pits that you can equip yourself, as well as get acquainted with some production samples from the large assortment available for sale in specialty stores and "gardening" departments of hypermarkets.

You can make your own:

the pit itself, the “working” part of which is below ground level;
completely outdoor structure, in general terms representing a box or enclosed space;
a rare “universal” type that combines the two previous ones in its design.

In fact, making a compost pit with your own hands is not at all difficult, then we will consider the available designs and you will see for yourself.

Location of the compost pit

Before you start arranging a compost pit in your backyard or summer cottage, you should pay attention to some of the nuances of its correct location.

Considering the peculiarities of the waste composting process, the pit should be located at a distance from sources of drinking water - springs, wells, wells. The optimal distance is 25 meters: further is possible (if the territory allows), closer is not desirable.

An important point: if the terrain on your site is heterogeneous, with slopes, always choose the location of the compost pit below the level of the well, preferably at the lowest point of the site. This is done so that during rains (snow melting) decomposition products do not enter the source along with water flows. You can determine the lowest point if you follow the direction of streams during heavy rain.

Another problem is unpleasant odors, which may well come from the compost pit. This should be taken into account so as not to spoil relations with neighbors and your own mood. Therefore, find out in advance the predominant direction of the wind, which should become your assistant in this matter.

Usually, a compost pit is located somewhere away from the eyes - behind outbuildings, at the end of the garden, etc. However, you can still equip some suitable fence like a screen with climbing plants. In addition to the decorative function, such a fence should provide the pit with two extremely important conditions:

protect from the sun, providing reliable shade;
do not interfere with the free blowing of it by the wind.

Well, now, in fact, about the pit itself.

The first option can be considered the oldest, which gave the name to all other designs. This is a hole in pure form, no more than 1 meter deep, 3 meters long and approximately 1.5 meters wide. Such calculations are due to practical expediency: it will be more difficult to fill a larger volume, and the resulting compost is quite enough for a garden of 8-10 acres.

However, everything is not so simple: the formation of compost is an aerobic process, requiring free access of air to the entire mass, which dense soil is not able to provide. To solve this problem, the walls of the pit should be sheathed from the inside. wooden planks at some distance (about 20 cm) from the earthen walls. To do this, columns are dug in at the corners of the pit, to which the boards are nailed. The boards themselves do not fit tightly to each other, they leave a distance of 4-5 cm between them. Such measures are necessary for better ventilation of the compost mass, as well as for earthworms to access it.

A drainage layer of pieces of wood and branches is thrown at the bottom of the pit for better ventilation.

Now we need to build wooden shield and block the hole exactly in the middle, dividing it into two equal parts. Waste will be placed in one, and the other is needed for periodic shifting (several times per season) of the mass in order to better saturate it with oxygen.

Some people prefer to line the walls of the compost pit with bricks (as in the photo above), cinder blocks, or concrete. Such "thoroughness" is completely useless for the reasons outlined above.

Compost bin design

The overhead structure is considered more popular - the so-called. compost box.

For its construction, special skills and calculations are not needed: the main thing is to provide a certain volume for the mass of waste in which they can be and gradually overheat into a nutrient substrate, as well as supplying a sufficient amount of air.

Compost bin made of wooden pallets

The compost bin can be made both portable and stationary by digging columns of the desired height (1 m above the ground) into the ground at the corners from a thick wooden beam or metal pipe. These posts are then sheathed with narrow (10-12 cm) wooden planks, maintaining an interval of 1-2 cm, sufficient to ensure drainage functions.

Good so-called. “Finnish” type of compost bin, the main part of which is a cube with a side of 1 m. Such dimensions are calculated in order to ensure that the mass is overheated, and not dried out (with a smaller volume) or burned out from excess internal heat in a significantly larger volume.

From above is being constructed gable roof, one slope of which is used for laying waste in a box and is a hinged lid with a convenient handle. In the lower part of one of the surfaces, it is necessary to place a door 30-40 cm high on the same hinges, through which it will be convenient to take out the finished (mature) compost located in the lower conditional third of the mass (mature, ripening compost and fresh waste on top).

One wall of the box facing the courtyard can be made deaf. As in the case of the pit, the box can be built into two compartments, but this is not so important here.

As you know, demand creates supply, and therefore various manufacturers offer to purchase ready-made compost boxes - composters made of high-strength plastic or metal (sometimes wood), having modern design and designed in such a way as to create the maximum favorable conditions for mass composting.

Composters vary greatly in their cost, manufacturability (some models are equipped with temperature sensors and electromechanical mass rippers), dimensions and design features, which can be both solid and collapsible.

In the presented photos you can see some samples, but it is better to choose in consultation with the seller.

Compost care

Having acquired your own compost pit (or box), you will have to take care of the mass gradually turning into fertilizer. It is not difficult, all care consists in periodically moistening the mass and ventilating it.

It is convenient to moisten with a garden watering can, wetting, but not filling the mass with water. They ventilate the ripening compost with the help of garden forks, piercing and turning the mass to the maximum depth in several places or shifting it from compartment to compartment.

For better maturation and quality of the future compost, you can add a small amount of overripe (two-year-old) manure to the mass.

It is possible to significantly accelerate the maturation of compost with the help of commercially available special compound preparations: in some cases, the result is obtained in one month, although the consistency of the compost will be different, and it will have to ripen in the soil, which, according to many experts, is even good for plants.

Everyone has heard about the value of compost, even novice gardeners. However, the rules for its formation and application are not known to everyone. Many people think that in order for the compost to succeed, it is enough to dump waste and plant residues in one place during the summer, and by spring everything is ready. However, this is far from the case, and in order for your compost heap to really become a valuable material, you need to work on it.

Compost. © GGWTV Content:

What is compost?

If you look in an encyclopedia, you can find an exact description of what is compost: compost is a type of organic fertilizer obtained as a result of the decomposition of organic residues under the influence of the activity of various microorganisms. Therefore, several components are necessary for its formation: directly organic matter, microorganisms and conditions for their vital activity. Based on this, let's look at how to make compost with your own hands.

What is a compost heap made of?

The first thing to understand when forming a compost heap is that not everything can be thrown into it.

What can be put in compost?

Can: any plant residues (cut grass, chopped tree branches, weeds, leaves, tops), organic waste with kitchen table(peeling vegetables, egg shells, tea leaves, coffee grounds), straw, hay, manure (preferably horse or cow), paper used for bedding for livestock.

What should not be composted?

It is forbidden: diseased plants, rhizomes malicious weeds, fats, inorganic waste, synthetic fabrics. It is not recommended to get cabbage into the compost, as its decay causes an unpleasant odor, as well as meat waste, since in addition to the stench, they also attract rats.

But that's not all. When forming a compost heap, you need to remember two rules. First, the smaller the waste, the faster it rots. Secondly, the ratio of green (rich in nitrogen) and brown (poor fiber) masses should correspond to 1:5. This ratio will allow bacteria to fully develop and significantly speed up the process of compost maturation.

Since it is difficult to form a compost heap at a time and in most cases it fits gradually, it is quite difficult to understand the amount of green and brown components laid into it by eye. But there are principles that you can follow to understand what needs to be added: if the compost heap has an unpleasant odor, then it lacks a brown component, if it is cool and has no visible fumes, you need to add green mass. If the balance is maintained, the compost heap should smell like earth, give off warmth, be damp, and float a little.

Ideally, a leftover compost pile is laid out in layers with alternating not only green and brown fillings, but also finer and coarser fractions of the components. After the final formation, it is covered with a layer of earth (5 cm), and then with old straw or a specially perforated (for ventilation) film.

Formation of a compost heap

Collecting organic remains in one place is far from everything. For convenience and neat appearance, the place allotted for the formation of compost must be protected. However, it is better to do this not with slate or metal, but by forming a wooden frame. This is necessary so that the heap can "breathe". The dimensions for the box should be approximately 1.5 x 1 m (the first indicator is the width, the second is the height), the length can be any.

The place chosen for the formation of the compost heap also matters. First, it must be protected from the winds and the scorching midday sun. Secondly, it is hidden from prying eyes. And if necessary, it is decorated with green plantings or climbing plants.

The best period for the formation of a conceived business is autumn, rich in plant residues, as well as spring and summer. The winter period is not suitable for laying compost due to unfavorable temperature conditions.

Before you start laying organics, it is good to lay out a film or a layer of peat 10 cm thick on the bottom of the future heap deep into the ground (by 20 cm). This will save nutrients and moisture. AND!!! You should not resort to the method of collecting residues in a pit, as excess moisture often accumulates in compost pits, which worsens and lengthens the composting process.

Compost heap care

Now that we know the basic principles of the formation of a compost heap, it is necessary to recall the rules for caring for it, since it depends on their implementation whether the compost will have time to form in a year or not, whether it will be complete and of high quality. And the rules are pretty simple.

The compost heap needs to be turned once a month. In this case, it is good to achieve the most complete mixing of the residues. This will make the organic loose, enrich it with oxygen, allow it to burn out, and not rot. If shoveling a pile is difficult for you, at least pierce it from all sides with a pitchfork.
It is very important to monitor the moisture content of the compost heap. If it dries out, moisten it regularly. However, you can’t overdo it here, but remember that it’s wet, it doesn’t mean it’s wet! Excess moisture displaces air, which means it worsens the work of bacteria necessary for composting. Therefore, carefully water your pile with a watering can, and not with a hose, preferring not to top up than to overflow. In the time of prolonged rains and after watering - cover it with a film.
If you want to speed up the maturation process of the compost - make sure that enough nitrogen gets into the pile - it is found in the green parts of plants and slurry. How to determine their disadvantage, we said above.

Compost readiness indicators

How long the compost heap will take to mature depends on the conditions provided for this. Usually, complete overheating of organic residues occurs in 1–1.5 years. The readiness of the fertilizer is determined visually and by smell - organic matter becomes a crumbly dark brown mass with the smell of forest land.

Consumption ecology. Manor: Productivity is largely determined by the fertility of the soil, which is known to every gardener who from year to year tries to improve the land on his plot, but noticeable improvements usually take several years.

The traditional method of fertilizing the earth

In order to improve the quality of the soil, annual fertilization is practiced by introducing into the soil a large amount of food waste, manure, fallen leaves, seaweed, mineral fertilizers, etc. Using the same fertilizers, their effectiveness can be significantly increased if you arrange a compost pit in a summer cottage.

DIY compost heap

A compost heap is a kind of "melting pot" in which biochemical reactions take place, which require a certain temperature and humidity regime. Therefore, to neutralize the external facts of the environment, the compost heap is necessarily covered.

If the compost heap is formed immediately, then earth, leaves, withered grass are used for shelter.

If you plan to regularly add to the compost heap, then it is better to cover it with black polyethylene.

Too large a compost heap in the country will lead to overheating, which will kill microorganisms, without which the whole idea loses its meaning. It is the microorganisms that take on the work of processing the organic mass; under the influence of the products of their vital activity, biochemical reactions are accelerated. By the way, the maturation of compost takes place especially quickly in the summer months.

There is nothing difficult in making a compost heap with your own hands, no. It is only necessary to choose a suitable place for its location on the site. It is best to arrange a compost heap in wooden box, which you can put together yourself. But you can also buy a compost box, usually they are made of plastic, equipped with a lid and doors so that you can mix the compost.

It is recommended to place the compost heap box in a shady place, in a secluded corner of the garden if possible. Microorganisms in a compost heap come from the ground, so if the soil at the location of the heap is poisoned with chemicals, then the compost will ripen extremely slowly. When laying a compost heap, to speed up the processes, the microflora can be introduced artificially, for which use bioconcentrates from soil microorganisms (Baikal, Vozrozhdenie, etc.).

The right compost heap will provide quality fertilizer after 3-4 months, while under normal conditions it will take several years.

Compost heap dimensions

The correct compost heap should be of such dimensions that it creates the desired humidity and temperature conditions. The optimal dimensions of the compost heap are 1.2–1.5 m with a length of at least 1.5 m.

A smaller pile will lose moisture, will not be able to warm up enough for all reactions to proceed at a normal rate, so the compost ripening process will inevitably be delayed, although the quality of the final product may not suffer.

What to put in the compost heap

The highest quality compost is obtained with a wide variety of used organic waste, then its composition will be richer in minerals. But it is important to observe the correct ratio of nitrogen and carbon. Carbon is the main construction material for organic molecules, there is a lot of it in plants, and especially in sawdust, straw, stems. Nitrogen is also necessary, as it serves as food for microorganisms. In compost, nitrogen is supplied with manure, bone meal, bird droppings, grass, pea and bean stalks.

In order for chemical processes to start in the mass for compost, the ratio of nitrogen to carbon must be from 1 to 10 to 1 to 20, excess amounts will be released in the form of carbon dioxide and ammonia. For a full-fledged compost, the presence of not only organic, but also mineral components is important, therefore, superphosphates, dolomite flour, and complex mineral fertilizers should be regularly added to the compost heap. After passing through the “crucible” of compost, all these substances will bring more benefits than if they are directly applied to the soil.

Some plants can accelerate the rate of reactions leading to the formation of humus, for example, medicinal valerian, pharmacy chamomile, yarrow, dandelion.

What Not to Put in the Compost Heap

Do not throw diseased plants, weeds with seeds ready for dispersal into the compost heap. Don't treat your compost heap like a garbage dump. It is strongly not recommended to lay in the compost heap:

poorly ground materials (particles larger than 0.6 cm);
fruit bones and seeds (rodents will visit), cheese, meat, eggs (so as not to attract animals);
dog and cat litter;
damaged products.

How to make a compost heap

There is a certain technique for preparing compost, following which high-quality compost is obtained in the shortest possible time. Its main instructions are:

1. Mix several components for the compost and then lay out in layers.

2. At the bottom of the pile, pour a 30 cm layer of soil, then a 10 cm layer of pre-dried and chopped grass, on top of 1 layer of leaves and weeds, each 25 cm thick.

3. It is necessary to frequently add food waste to the compost heap, while avoiding bones and fats.

4. Each new layer in the compost pile must be moistened with water.

5. Systematically add mineral fertilizers, bone meal, manure to the compost heap.

6. Constantly shift the pile, make sure that it does not dry out, is sufficiently, but not excessively moistened. To work with a compost heap, it is better to have a separate set of shovels and pitchforks.

At some point, the compost will be ready, it is not difficult to determine this by color and consistency - the ripened compost will have a loose structure, smell of forest land and become dark brown.

Fallen leaf compost

Separately, I would like to note the compost from fallen leaves, which is also known as "leafy soil". The basis of this type of compost is fallen leaves, which lose minerals before falling off, so that only hemicellulose and lignin remain in their tissue. These substances decompose very slowly, although they are one of the most valuable components of humus. When arranging a compost heap from leaves, you should be aware that they contain another substance that is difficult to decompose - tannin. It has an astringent-disinfectant property, which greatly inhibits the formation of compost. Large concentrations of tannin are found in the leaves of beech, oak, the content of tannin is especially high in chestnut, willow and sycamore leaves. Because of this, the foliage of these tree species is of little use for compost and can only be used to cover the heap.

DIY compost heap (video)

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