Choosing a composting method

Choose an approach that best suits your reasons for making compost, the location of the compost site and

the amount of  specialized equipment you have available to produce compost (the Figure). Where you

are located is important from environmental impact and potential nuisance perspectives. For example,

composters located in rural areas need to be concerned that composting activities don't adversely

affect surface and ground waters, but they usually are less concerned about neighbor complaints related to

odors, noise and dust.  Composting sites located in rural-urban and urban areas often are forced to use

high technology options to minimize nuisance complaints.

Easy way to make compost

When is the compost finished?

There is no fixed time to produce finished compost. Duration depends on feedstocks, composting method
used and management. It can take as little as three  months and as long as

The Role of Composting

As it will be described in other chapters, composting has been used for many years
throughout the world in the stabilization of organic residues. Initially, in the management
of municipal solid waste (MSW), the emphasis was on composting the organic fraction
of MSW; sewage sludge (biosolids) was regarded principally as a source of nitrogen and
phosphorous, and to a lesser extent of potassium for enriching the organic matter and
thus promoting the compost process (Rodale, 1943; Truman, 1949; Golueke, 1950, 1953,
1972, 1977).

Know your soil

The soil in our gardens is a mixture of
mineral particles derived from rock
weathering over millennia, air, water,
decomposed organic matter and living
organisms. Though all soils are based on the
same basic ingredients, they vary widely
because of differences in the way the
ingredients are combined.

Gardening Without Irrigation VII (Increasing Soil Fertility Saves Water)

Increasing Soil Fertility Saves Water

Does crop growth equal water use? Most people would say this statement seems likely to be true.

Actually, faster−growing crops use much less soil moisture than slower−growing ones. As early as 1882 it was determined that less water is required to produce a pound of plant material when soil is fertilized than when it is not fertilized. One experiment required 1,100 pounds of water to grow 1 pound of dry matter on infertile soil, but only 575 pounds of water to produce a pound of dry matter on rich land. Perhaps the single most important thing a water−wise gardener can do is to increase the fertility of the soil, especially the subsoil.

Gardening Without Irrigation VI (Fertilizing, Fertigating and Foliar Spraying)

Fertilizing, Fertigating and Foliar Spraying

In our heavily leached region almost no soil is naturally rich, while fertilizers, manures, and potent compostsmainly improve the topsoil. But the water−wise gardener must get nutrition down deep, where the soil stays damp through the summer.