I know what you can and cannot put in a compost bin,but how can I make one? I don’t want to buy one, can I make one myself? Can someone please give me some instructions to make one from a container or some household item?
Also, can compost replace soil all together? I live in Arizona and the dirt is really hard, can I just use compost dirt by itself to germinate and grow seeds? I want to grow peppers, garlic, and some apple and orange seeds. I have some experience with gardening, I am a member of the school garden and we have a real compost bin there but I want one for my home to grow my own vegetables and plants.
Thanks
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You can make a compost bin from just about anything. The common household bin usually a trash can, but a cheaper one can be made by just chicken wire. While you would need to drill dozens of large vent holes into the trash can, the chicken wire doesn’t require that, and aerating the composting material is a simple as poking a stick through the material and wiggling it.
Also, compost can not entirely replace the clay soil we have in Arizona. What I do, to prep clay that hasn’t been used for a while, is work twice as much compost into one part of clay. This should balance it out to a desired soil, depending on the crop of course. The compost makes the soil weaker, making it easy for seeds to push through, while the clay helps retain water.
Best of luck to you.
There’s quite a few ways you can build your own compost bin. Here’s just one, that’s reliable: http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/htbg/module7/making_your_own_compost1.shtml And yes, you can use compost by itself, but home-made compost tends to be quite coarse, and it may be too coars for germinating seeds. Buy a small bag of seed compost to start your seeds off and give them a chance! Then use your home made compost to grown on. Good luck!
There are instructions on youtube to build your own. I’m sure there are instructions on the internet also. I got mine from youtube. I built one that has hinges in the center so it can be turned over easily, but honestly it was kind of a pain in the a** to build, and the materials cost me about $100 (a large bin from the hardware store, and several planks of wood that they custom cut for me, and metal hinges and screws.) You can buy for $200, and I think it is worth the money. Where I live there are a bunch on http://www.Craigslist.org.
Technically I guess compost could replace soil all together, but everything I’ve read says to mix compost and soil. In my bin, I mix compost and leaves and soil. Everytime I add compost, I either put leaves or soil on top if that, and then turn the containe around to mix it. If I were you I would buy alot of topsoil and mix it with the dirt you have, and then put compost on that.
You can build up your compost before you start to grow!
You can use clay containers (with a bottom hole) to be your compost bin.
I guess this should be the simplest way to start growing your garden.
You can start as early as late winter, when the day temperature
is above zero and come with sun shines.
Start first with the layers of wastes, add two or more worms
in the container, sprinkle clean water and cover with a non-
transparent cover.
You can check whether the soil is working or not,
but it is not necessary. It will work naturally with the
help from the nature.
When the frost is totally over, you can sprout your seeds on the solid black soil
and start more compost containers, if you have plenty of space.
The worms will help you to create your instant fertilizers.
The liquid fertilizer juice will help to grow your ground underneath.
The clay pot will help to keep the soil warm, and you
can start planting anything you love.
What I know is pumpkin can grow directly in the compost.
One extra tip is the brewed coffee ground will help to losen the clay ground.
So put more coffee waste in your clay ground. You will see wonderful results soon.
Cultivation of soil needs time. Give some patient. You will be sucess soon.
I hope it helps!
You should consider a worm bin, they are super easy to make and easy to care for.
Compost can be used 100% to plant in but it is kinda wasteful in my opinion to do that. I would mix it with manure or peat.
I would suggest you join your local gardening club, contact your county agriculture extension and find out where you can meet up with local gardeners.
interesting post they want another