That's right! In your own back yard.
When I make snacks I put all the scraps into my compost bin. You can use scraps from your own meals too.
These can be easily made into great compost, which then turns into the best fertiliser for growing veggies, herbs and other plants in your garden. Just like I do here at Nix & Nax.
Lots of patience is needed when composting, between 3 to 6 months. During this time the compost will be a little smelly, but that's ok, because I know it's going to end up being wonderful fertiliser.
Here is my backyard friend, Wormee, to tell us about himself and his friends and about making compost from food scraps.
Now, where is the best place to start? First, decide whether to use an open compost pile or a bin."
As Wormee says, he and his friends, help to turn food scraps, twigs and grass into nutritious fertiliser made from vermi-compost.
It's fun to make it all happen
Do you know the difference between an open compost pile and a bin?
Well, it all depends on the size of your back yard. I have a back yard that is just the right size for my veggie garden, honey-bee hive and a play area for me and my friends and for Newly Truly too, Not too big and not too small, so I chose a compost bin over a compost pile.
I enjoy taking the food scraps out to my compost bin because I check on my garden and say hi to my honey bees too. They love it when I visit them.
Both a compost pile and a compost bin are excellent ways of making compost.
Compost piles are the usual way, but they can become messy and smelly, and need more space than a bin does.
To make a compost heap, you need space away from your house. Placed on soil, or grass in a sunny and open area. Not a dark place or on a paved yard.
The best base for a compost heap is a layer of sand, brick, blocks or gravel, the size you want it to be. If using blocks or bricks, leave some space between them to allow the air to move through and this also helps the water to run away.
Busy Izzy chose to have a compost bin at Nix & Nax, Izzy tells us why.
At its most basic, composting requires only, carbon, nitrogen, air and water.
The best types of waste are:
Layering different types of scraps, twigs and leaves etc is a good idea.
At the back of Nix & Nax, Busy Izzy has chickens, and she loves taking care of them. As you can see they are happy and healthy and super cute too.
Did you know that chicken manure fertiliser is wonderful for your garden as it has a balance of natural nutrients, including potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen.
This Manure Compost is a fabulous source of nutrients for fruit trees, vegetable gardens and even your lawn.
Watering the compost is important. This is a good idea when it's looking a little dry. Izzy's friends love to help in the garden. Newly Truly and Bobby are bringing the hose, so they can water the compost as well as bring fresh water for the chickens.
Here below Izzy is all ready to water her veggies and citrus trees. She loves taking special care of her garden. The sun has gone down and in hot breezy weather it is probably best to water in the early evening. This gives the veggie plants enough time to dry out, but there is still the chance for overnight water uptake by the roots. And if you want to water in the morning then start very early – before the sun is shining.
In the cool winter months, the very best time to water plants is in the early morning, while it is still cool. This will allow the water to run down into the soil and reach the roots of the plant without too much excess water lost to evaporation.
