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Home Based Composting Processes
from: Lawn and Garden MagicThere are, in general, two types of composting processes: residential or home-based and industrial composting. Each type requires different techniques. Home-based composting is becoming more popular because it can easily be implemented at home. All it takes is someone willing to give it a try and some easy manual labor.
A major advantage of home-based composting is the minimal requirement for machinery and other equipment that industrial composting requires. However, it won't produce the capacity of industrial composting systems. Here are some types of home-based composting processes.
Composting Toilet
A composting toilet or pit is a popular methods for small scale composting whether at an urban or rural setting. A composting toilet is convenient, easy to set up and very simple to monitor and mix. A composting toilet can be a bit tricky, however, since it requires you to orient your family members regarding the pit, especially if your composting activities grow to larger proportions.
Another problem is that it might be very difficult distinguishing the materials when you need to monitor the carbon to nitrogen ratio because of its simplicity. Regardless, this technique is still widely used and has proven to be a good method for small scale composting.
Open or Closed Bin Composting
Using a composting bin continues to be very useful for many gardeners, especially those who prefer to compartmentalize and organize their composting activities. Since a composting toilet or pit may not always be easy to clean, the advantage of a compost bin comes in. A compost bin ensure the composting process stays under your control.
This is especially true of closed bin composting techniques. You can more directly observe the variables affecting your compost pile, because it isn't exactly exposed to external elements that can actually affect the compost greatly when accumulated over time.
German Mound
This is also known as a Magic mound. The German method consists of forest elements, including wastes from wood-rich gardens, clippings from hedges, prunings, bashwood and brassica stems. These objects are placed in a circular trench about 5 inches in width and an inch deep.
Another hole is dug at the center, an additional inch deeper than the outer circle. This is where most of the rough materials are placed. From this, layers and layers of manure, wasted leaves and compost are added. The results of the German mound is apparently great for the soil over the next 4 - 5 years after being installed on the land.
Ecuador Style of Composting
When involved in composting comprised of tree trunks or banana stalks, then you're in for an Ecuadorian treat in composting. By embedding the whole pit with tree trunks or banana stalks, then placing the organic matter in an interspersed manner for each layer, you'll help segregate the compost materials more efficiently.
However, this takes a lot more space, since it only gets watered once the pile reaches a height of a meter or a bit more. But this high pile doesn't have to last forever. Gardeners in Ecuador tend to wait for the pile to settle down, remove the top layer and aerate it and then repeat the process for more humus production.
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