Hello! This is a tutorial on how to establish a very rich vegan compost in under 5-6 months. This tutorial will cover the elements necessary to renew and revive your soil, possibilities of accomplishing a closed-loop composting system, and how to build a complete compost without the need for animal manure/byproducts or synthetic fertilizers.
Things you'll need:
-A lightweight D-handle shovel
-A rake (preferably deep spikes)
-2 5 gallon buckets of already sifted cured compost, or good living soil (Not necessary! But recommended!)
-Compost wood structure (will post instructable on how to design and build)
-Twigs, dry leaves from fall, dry grass, or anything brown
-Weeds, grass, compost crops, kitchen left-overs, or anything green
-A designated shady space suitable for a compost that can be turned once every 1-2 months
References:
How to Grow more Vegetables! http://www.growbiointensive.org/publications_about_HTGMV.html
Vegan Organic Gardening http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegan_organic_gardening
Real Seeds UK Open-Pollinated Non-GMO Seeds http://www.realseeds.co.uk/index.html
80+ Items You Can Compost http://www.care2.com/greenliving/80-items-you-can-compost.html
Bountiful Gardens http://www.bountifulgardens.org/
Things you'll need:
-A lightweight D-handle shovel
-A rake (preferably deep spikes)
-2 5 gallon buckets of already sifted cured compost, or good living soil (Not necessary! But recommended!)
-Compost wood structure (will post instructable on how to design and build)
-Twigs, dry leaves from fall, dry grass, or anything brown
-Weeds, grass, compost crops, kitchen left-overs, or anything green
-A designated shady space suitable for a compost that can be turned once every 1-2 months
References:
How to Grow more Vegetables! http://www.growbiointensive.org/publications_about_HTGMV.html
Vegan Organic Gardening http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegan_organic_gardening
Real Seeds UK Open-Pollinated Non-GMO Seeds http://www.realseeds.co.uk/index.html
80+ Items You Can Compost http://www.care2.com/greenliving/80-items-you-can-compost.html
Bountiful Gardens http://www.bountifulgardens.org/
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Signing UpStep 1: Loosening the soil beneath your compost pile
It is important to loosen the soil under your compost pile for several reasons.
Allows air flow
Allows proper drainage
Erosion resistance
Helps life to move more freely beneath the compost
In this photo you can see that the soil has been loosened with a shovel and ground with a rake. I have double dug this space to be about 35cm (14in) deep. This might be called "too much" by lazy people but regardless it is worth it when you are living in a time with lots of rain or in an environment with rich living soil.
I have also collected a variety of weeds, dry leaves, small twigs, wood chips, and immature composting crops (like hemp, fenugreek, or alfalfa) into buckets.
The pictures below show a before and after.
Next step: Layering your compost!
Allows air flow
Allows proper drainage
Erosion resistance
Helps life to move more freely beneath the compost
In this photo you can see that the soil has been loosened with a shovel and ground with a rake. I have double dug this space to be about 35cm (14in) deep. This might be called "too much" by lazy people but regardless it is worth it when you are living in a time with lots of rain or in an environment with rich living soil.
I have also collected a variety of weeds, dry leaves, small twigs, wood chips, and immature composting crops (like hemp, fenugreek, or alfalfa) into buckets.
The pictures below show a before and after.
Next step: Layering your compost!
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