Compost: The Free Fertilizer That Transforms Your Garden

Compost is not just a heap of waste — it is a free and powerful fertilizer that turns an ordinary garden into a source of health and rich harvests. Properly prepared compost makes soil looser, fills it with humus and microelements, retains moisture, and can multiply crop yields several times over.

What Can and Cannot Go Into Compost

Almost any organic matter that can decompose is suitable for composting: freshly cut grass, leaves, vegetable peels, eggshells, sawdust, and cardboard. Weeds after weeding are also useful, and even plant tops with signs of disease — the high temperature inside the compost pile destroys harmful spores.

However, there are strict exceptions. Meat, fish, dairy products, and greasy foods cause rot and unpleasant smells. Roots of invasive weeds, especially ground elder, and flowering chickweed should also be avoided, as their seeds can remain viable for years. Glossy paper and synthetic tea bags are likewise unsuitable for composting.

How to Build a Compost Pile

Experienced gardeners recommend arranging compost as a “layered pie”: green waste alternates with soil, sawdust, leaves, and ash, with each layer about 10–15 cm thick. To speed up decomposition, the compost should remain moist, watered occasionally with herbal infusions, and mixed from time to time to ensure oxygen access.

The pile should be placed on the ground surface rather than in a pit, since buried compost tends to rot instead of fermenting properly. The most convenient option is a wooden bin with ventilation holes, with one section for fresh waste and another for finished compost.

Timing and Care

Compost takes from three months to a year to mature. To ensure a steady supply, it is best to maintain two piles: one for filling and one for use. In autumn, compost should be left open to absorb meltwater, which accelerates decomposition. By spring, it turns into ready-to-use humus.

Properly prepared compost has no unpleasant odor, does not attract rodents, and becomes a true “turbo boost” for garden beds, according to URA.RU.