Composting the Wrong Materials
Some of the easiest composting mistakes to avoid involve what you should and should not add to your composting pile. Most compost piles contain fruits, veggies, egg shells, produce peels, tea bags, coffee grounds, news papers, cardboard, paper, and leaves. These organic materials are easy and safe to decompose. While most kitchen scraps can be safely composted there are a few things that should be avoided. Animal products, like meat scraps, dairy products, bones, or animal waste, should typically be avoided. They take longer to decompose and can breed harmful pathogens in your composting pile. And while it is okay to add organic packing materials, like cardboard egg cartons or paper bags, adding non-organic packing materials such as plastic or glass would be a big composting mistake.
Not Enough Cover
Don’t make the composting mistake of leaving your compost pile out in the open. Covering your compost pile will be more beneficial than you may realize. The biggest benefit of covering your food scraps is that it contains the smell. This will not only make it easier on you, but it will deter unwanted pests such as fruit flies, raccoons, rodents, and bears from lurking near your compost. To insure that you have adequate coverage on your food scraps consider using the “lasagna method”. This means that you layer food scraps (typically called green material) and dry scraps (typically called brown material). You can keep your food scraps in a separate container until you have enough brown material to completely cover your green material. Not only does adequate cover contain the smell, but it will also help your food scraps break down faster and more efficiently.What Are Some Common Mistakes to Avoid When Making Your Own Composting Fertilizer?
When planning to make eco-friendly fertilizer, it’s important to avoid common mistakes. Firstly, don’t solely rely on kitchen scraps as they lack essential nutrients for composting. Secondly, avoid adding meat or dairy products that attract pests. Furthermore, avoid excessive watering, as it hampers the decomposition process. Lastly, steer clear of using chemicals or treated wood in your compost, as it can harm plants.
Not Enough Diversity
Although not having diversity in your compost won’t necessarily hurt, it definitely will not help. One of the benefits of composting is that it is so nutrient rich. This is largely due to the fact that such a variety of fruits and vegetables are contained in your compost pile. Without diversity of food scraps, you will not get the diversity of nutrients. To avoid this composting mistake you should review a comprehensive list of things to compost. You may be surprised at how much you can add to your pile.