Mazuria Ecolodges

The compost allows you to exploit all your organic waste into fertilizer for the soil: humus. The humus is an effective fertilizer, which also limits appearance of diseases and pests. So it not only reduces the contents of dustbins and save on the purchase of chemical fertilizer, but it also permit to work without pesticides and herbicides that pollute our environment and threaten our health.
The soil is a real ecosystem that needs to regenerate itself by recycling the organic matter. If it is not the case, the soil become poor, subsided, asphyxiated and ultimately sterile (regions of the world practicing intensive farming know something about that)
So how successful a good compost?
Four essential conditions must be met to get the right balance:

• Ventilated environments: microorganisms involved in the decomposition are aerobic organisms, they need oxygen. If the anaerobic micro-organisms develop themself, they are causing then the putrefaction recognizable with odors that emerge. It is good to know that the nitrogen materials are subsided themselves more than the carbonaceous materials
• A good moisture : a surplus of water asphyxiate the middle and a lack hampers composting. The nitrogen materials are rather wet and carbon ones dry .
• High temperature : composting actors are more effective if the temperature is high. A voluminous and well-sheltered heap can reach temperatures of over 60°C, destroying seeds and pathogens
• The right proportions of nitrogen and carbon : 30 to 40 times more carbon than nitrogen are needed to get a good compost. Think in making your heap (see article on composting materials)

How to make a good compost heap?

• Select a location in the shade, protected from the wind. A deciduous foliage hedge is perfect for protecting the compost heap
• Realize the heap on the floor, especially not in a hole
• It will be convenient to mount your pile near the house and neer a water point
• Protect access to the pile by a barrier to avoid problems with children and animals
• Arrange 5 cm of straw, sticks or dry wood chips at the base of the heap to ensure proper ventilation
• Protect your pile of cold, light, wind and excess water by placing on top of the pile after each addition of new organic matter either straw or leaves or grass or dried ferns. Put some water to flatten this layer on the heap.
• To expedite the process, it is possible to turn over the heap after the temperature peak, by ensuring that the center of the pile will contain the parts previously on the periphery. The composting activity will be boosted and the temperature will rise and other time.
• When your heap will be a meter in diameter by one meter high, start a new heap

By turning over the pile, compost can be ready in 6 months, otherwise he must wait one year. If you compost of human excrement, we must wait for a year to use it and you must use the straw activated method (see toilet rubric on this site)
A half done compost is recognizable thanks to its brown color, materials are no longer recognizable, and it contains many red worms. It’s rather wet and sticky.
A mature compost is recognizable to the small number of red worms on it, it is dark, thin in appearance, soft to the touch and not sticky. Its scent is the undergrowth.

And now you can go to work!