Green compost has become a buzzword within the gardening and landscaping worlds of late. With much more focus on protecting the planet and environment through recycling and using organic products, it’s not surprising. However, it’s not just a case of putting your kitchen scraps and coffee grounds on the pile. There’s a little more to it than that!
Created by recycling waste collected from gardens and parks, green compost is formed through a specific industrial process. First, the right type of waste has to be collected. Shredding and composting on a massive scale comes next. Then, like all good things – from whisky to cheese, there’s a period of maturation. During this time, aerobic bacteria start the hard work of breaking down the compost through organic chemical processes. Next, the compost is screened so that any oversized particles are removed. After all of this, the compost is ready to be applied where it’s needed most – your garden!
Corker Outdoor are very pleased to be able to offer excellent quality green compost to our customers. There are a wide variety of benefits and uses.
Green Compost – how it works.
Derived from completely natural products and processes, green compost can be used in organic beds and systems. The major and micronutrients contained within it also provide a slow-release boost of vitality to your soil. Over the long term, green compost also increases moisture retention whilst improving soil drainage. And all that organic matter makes your soil much easier to work with too, improving the structure and workability.
One vital aspect of creating green compost is temperature control. In order to kill off any weed seeds and prevent them from germinating, the compost is closely monitored to ensure it reaches specific temperatures. This also kills off any harmful pathogens that might be lurking within.
Green gardening practices
You can also introduce green composting practices into your own gardening. All good composting includes a balanced mix of ‘browns’ and ‘greens’. Greens are your sources of nitrogen and protein, like grass clippings, eggshells, and coffee grounds. Browns are carbon-rich food sources for all the lovely soil-dwelling organisms that have set up shop in your compost pile. Browns can be anything from cardboard and cotton, to sawdust and dry leaves. For your own compost pile, you should be looking for a ration of roughly 3-4 parts browns to 1-part greens. If you find your compost heap isn’t heating up or breaking down, you usually just need to tweak the ratio a little.
In short, green compost and green composting are not the same thing! Naturally peat free and ready to go, green compost from Corker Outdoor is ideal for general soil improvement. Having done all the hard work for you, it’s even been pre-screened down to 10mm, making it a perfect mulch or soil additive.