Looking to cut costs and make a difference in the environment? This is the story for many of us, but we often don’t know what to do to improve our lifestyles from an Eco-friendly standpoint. A relatively easy change you can make is to create your own compost. Not only will you be recycling organic waste, but you’ll be providing your garden with a soil full of nutrients.

Compost is often referred to as “black gold” because it’s so beneficial to the garden. It contains yard debris, garden debris and kitchen scraps all mixed together into a rich, dark, crumbly material. With compost, you can assume that you’re speeding up the natural process of decomposition. That, and your reaping the benefits of your own nutrient-rich soil.

To start, find a location for your compost bin that is out-of-the-way, yet easy to reach. Also have a compost bin in your kitchen to collect organic scraps such as fruit rinds. Compost bins can be purchased or made on your own. There are plenty of simple directions online if you choose to be handy.

You’ll need to place the compost bin in an area that’s well ventilated and in partial shade so that the compost doesn’t overheat. The bin shouldn’t be too close to a home or other wooden structure, as you don’t want the bin to rot. Usually, people place the compost bin near the garden so it’s easy to move the materials over.

When composting material, you’ll need the right balance of moisture, but not so much that your material becomes over-watered. The more green contents you add, leaves, grass scraps, etc., the less water you’ll need to add.

Not only is water important for the formation of compost, but so is oxygen. All this takes is a bit of mixing to move the microorganisms in the soil around. Finally, stick with a compost mixture that is 3x3x3 in size and keeps at a temperature of 140-160 F. As compost breaks down, it produces temps this high and takes up less space.

So what types of materials can be composted? Some of the most common things include stale bread, old flowers, manure and hay. But there are other things around the environment that can be composted as well such as droppings from animals, paper napkins, hair clippings and egg shells.

When adding contents, don’t squash them down. Instead, drop them into the bin and let the compost naturally break down. Be sure to keep the diet rich and balanced, adding a variety of materials for the perfect compost.

Image c/o:  organic-compost-tumbler.com