City Garden - Compost

In recent years, many people who live in cities have started gardens.

For some, having a city garden is an easy and inexpensive source of fresh vegetables and herbs which many feel are a healthier alternative to store-bought mass-produced food.

Others plant city gardens to grow flowers and other decorative plants

Many would think that the first place to start is with pots, tools and seeds, but I disagree.

I'll explain where you need to start and why in this article.

Nearly anyone can tell you that people need food, but what many don't consider is that plants need nutrition too.

Much like people need oxygen plants need CO2, also known as Carbon Dioxide.

Also, just like people need vitamins and minerals plants need nutrients, which they pull from the soil, so before you can have healthy plants you need a reliable source of food for them.

Good crops require good soil.

For the last few centuries maintaining good soil quality has been achieved through the use of composting.

Composting is the process of allowing certain materials to biodegrade for a few months or years, and using the resulting material as a fertilizer.

Many city gardeners don't think they can compost for their garden or urban farm.

Reasons vary from person to person, but usually include concerns about smell and space, but these are not serious issues if you manage your compost correctly.

For small city gardens I recommend using a bin for compost.

Most any plastic container will work, but it must meet a few requirements.

The requirements for a compost bin for use in a city are very simple.

Compost needs to get damp so it can decompose, but it cannot stay wet or it will start to ferment.

If your compost starts to ferment it will emit a strong odor, but if it stays dry it will not decompose at all.

Lastly, you need your bin to be covered to keep local wildlife out of your compost!

I made my compost bin from a rubbermaid bin that I bought for $5 at a local retail store.

I drilled holes in the top, sides and bottom, and that's all there was to it!

Now that you have a bin, you need to put some compost in it, here are a few things that will work well:

Last year's potting soil.

Ash from fireplaces or grills, fireplace ashes are better.

Grass clippings, preferably dry.

Coffee grounds.

Fall leaves.

Straw or hay, preferably dry.

Used tea bags. (Be sure to remove the staples!)

Shredded paper or used paper towels.

Fruit or vegetable peels.

Any other plant based biodegradable waste.

There are a few things that you should avoid putting in a compost bin for various reasons, here are a few of them:

No urine or feces from any omnivorous or carnivorous animal, including humans!

Seeds.

Metals.

Plastics.

Any other non-biodegradable waste.

In order to get good results you need to do a little more than just drop bio-degradable trash into a bin, here are a few things you can do to get good results and keep it from emitting a strong odor.

Firstly, try to keep it outdoors, a patio, porch or deck is preferred, but the area must have good drainage.

Secondly keep it slightly damp, I pour a glass of water in mine about once a week.

Thirdly, try to balance dry components such as shredded paper and dry leaves with wet components such as coffee grounds fruit peels.

And finally, the compost needs to be mixed about once per month, so that material on the top gets buried.

If odor becomes an issue try mixing the compost more often.

Many city gardens are in tight spaces so they have to actually be grown in pots.

If this is the case for you, simply mix your compost with potting soil when you plant.

If you mixed in last year's potting soil no mixing is needed, just use the compost!

However, if you aren't working with pots you can still use compost, you'll just need to till your compost into your garden before you plant.

And there you have it, all that you really need to get a good, reliable source of compost for your city garden is a $ 5 bin, and a couple of hours of time and effort per month!

Once you have a good supply of compost you can start growing from seed.