What can I cover my compost heap with?
Cover the heap to protect against rain and add more brown waste, such as chopped woody material, shredded woodchip, straw or paper. Dry and fibrous with little rotting: Usually caused by too little moisture and too much brown material.
What can I add to my compost pile to speed it up?
Adding more nitrogen will speed up composting. Good nitrogen sources include Urea, blood meal, grass clippings and alfalfa meal. These are much better for the compost pile than compost accelerators, compost starters and compost activators – and cheaper!
What can I use if I don’t have compost?
One of the most useful replacements for compost is peat moss, or sphagnum. Peat has a texture similar to well-aged compost and provides a similar quality of organic material. Like compost, it helps lighten dense clay soils and improve water retention in light soils (see References 3).
How long does it take to make compost?
In a fast acting, hot composting process, it may take four to six months for all the material to break down. It could be quicker if it’s really fine material. For the passive compost, it may take six to twelve months to transform all that garden debris into finished compost.
Can you compost egg shells?
Let’s just start out by saying: putting egg shells in your compost is okay; they are a rich source of calcium and other essential nutrients that plants need. Drying your shells allows them to crush more completely before you add them to your compost bin.
Are egg shells green or brown compost?
Dried eggshells are not considered a brown or a green in composting because they are primarily mineral, not carbon or nitrogen. However, eggshells can have green material attached to them in the form of egg remnants or the fresh inner lining of the shell.
What counts as brown matter for compost?
Compost enthusiasts use the term “brown” to refer to any organic matter which is rich in carbon. Any plant waste which is dry, fibrous, and hard is generally recognized as brown. Browns are more resistant to decay. You can consider them as the slow-burning food for your compost heap.