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Start composting: Free fertilizer

Don’t bombard yourself with expensive alternatives that aren’t even that good. Here’s how to keep your soil in tip-top condition while reducing the amount of waste.

Let’s start with the obvious. Composting may seem difficult. Gardening gets a bad rap when it comes to gardening. It’s associated with unpleasant smells, unwieldy piles, and gardens full of rats, soft dirt, and a few eggshells. But it’s actually one of the best natural ingredients for improving your soil. It has a higher nutritional content than store-bought fertilizers, packaged soils, or  synthetic products. Best of all, it’s free and made straight from garden and kitchen scraps. On average, 30% of household waste sent to landfills is green waste. Home composting helps reduce your environmental impact.

The term “composting” describes the aerobic decomposition of nitrogen-rich green waste and carbon-rich organic matter such as leaves. The key is to strike the perfect balance of green waste and organic matter.

The parameters will vary slightly depending on the size and type of bin system you use, but ageneral rule of thumb is to add one handful of organics per handful of waste. However, keep in mind the specific requirements of your compost bin.

Typically, the following items can be used in a standard composting system.

Green matter (nitrogen rich)

Kitchen waste (vegetables, fruits)
Coffee grounds and tea leaves
Plant trimming: Foliage, leaves and flowers
Lawn cuttings: Fresh mulch from lawn mowings (chemical-free lawn).

Organic matter (carbon rich)

Leaves: Dry fallen leaves (use oak leaves sparingly as they decompose slowly)
Newsprint, cardboard, brown paper, shredded or cut into small pieces (use sparingly)
Dry lawn mowing
Straw – A great carbon source

Composting is a great way to get the whole family involved in gardening. Anyone can participate and feel the joy of making a difference. It’s also a great tool for kids to learn the basics of how to recycle items back into the earth.

Easy steps to composting using a standard system or container

✓ Choose a flat, partly sunny location with good drainage and easy access.
✓ Create a 12-inch base layer in the litter box using straw, leaves, or wood brush material to promote air circulation.
✓ There are alternating layers of green and organic materials.
✓ For each additional piece of food waste, add a layer of organic matter on top.
✓ Mix the contents of your bin every two weeks. This breaks down the material by aerating it and reheating the vessel.

✓ The pile will shrink over time. Continue adding layers until the bin is almost full.
✓ Harvest composts every six months. You need to completely break down the bottom and
center and fill in a healthy, moist space for the bugs to thrive.
✓ If the soil clumps are large, they can be filtered through a mesh screen.

Choose your trash can. Compost bins come in many shapes and sizes. You can purchase them at most garden stores, nurseries, and municipal waste disposal sites.

These special containers allow you to place compostable material on top and harvest the compost from the bottom.

This rotating bin is one of the easiest to maintain. The only downside is that you have to harvest all the soil at once.

This system is aimed at serious compost enthusiasts. Once operational, it can process large quantities of compost in staggered periods. This means you always have a steady supply of compost.

An active compost pile, a pile to which green waste is continuously added requires more time to decompose. This system allows you to complete composting by stopping adding green waste to one pile. When you’re done, use it in the garden and refill the bin while the other piles are finished. The third vat in this system is always empty for easy mixing.

A worm bin is another option that works especially well in small spaces. Vermicomposting, or worm composting, is very similar to standard composting, but operates on a smaller scale and relies primarily on earthworms for decomposition. The worms used in these compost systems are called red wigglers. You can also buy it with a bin or get it from a friend’s system.

Worm bins can produce liquid and solid fertilizers that are good for your plants. Most commonly, people purchase specially designed vermicompost bins that are relatively shallow and wide.

What is your experience with composting? Do you like it or want to leave a scrap? Please share your thoughts and composting tips below.

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RDK Landscaping – For more inspiration, visit our site. 

Experts in tree removal, stump  demolition, stump removal, tree trimming, tree mulching, tree pruning and emergency tree removal  in Buffalo, NY

Read our Reviews!!

Todd Wilhelm
Todd Wilhelm
2024-10-01
Had sod installed at my house in Amherst. Job done very quickly and well. Highly recommended. Will be using them again for spring 2025 project.
Md Mia
Md Mia
2024-09-27
RDK Tree Service removed a large maple by the power lines. It was definitely not a easy job. They did the job safely and did it rather quickly. I will definitely recommend them for your tree services.
Bike Lover
Bike Lover
2024-09-27
Residing in Buffalo NY, and needed to remove a large tree in the backyard and front yard. The crew did a fantastic job with removing it along with the stump. We are so impressed. Thank you RDK!
selvachandran saravanan
selvachandran saravanan
2024-09-25
Did a job here in my rental property in Amherst of removing two 60-70ft pine trees with stump removal and prepped an area for parking. RDK Landscaping is the one you should go to with your tree and landscaping/hardscaping needs. They are just the best overall!!
jackary Rootis
jackary Rootis
2024-09-24
I highly recommend them. Great crew, Super easy to work with. They’re doing a great job out here in East Amherst. Not only did I use them, but my neighbor and their son did as well and we couldn’t be happier.
DIANE Abram: Toot-Toot Daycare
DIANE Abram: Toot-Toot Daycare
2024-09-21
I hope these pictures speak for itself. I had called couple of companies to my property in Northampton, Buffalo, but only RDK Landscaping had come out so quick to give a quote for a project we started and couldn’t finish. They were so quick, efficient and had completed the project in about 2 days. They did a beautiful job, and answered all my questions throughout the entire process. I am so very thrilled about the results and could not recommend more! They are doing wonderful projects.
Dan Duggan
Dan Duggan
2024-09-19
RDK Landscaping did an amazing job! We had 8 dead ash trees at our property in Clarence that needed to be taken down given their proximity to the house and garage, in addition to two trees close to the power lines. I was very impressed with how quickly Roy and his team responded, came out to the property and got the job done. I would highly recommend them!
Andres Martinez
Andres Martinez
2024-09-14
Everybody at RDK Landscaping was a pleasure to deal with, we had a big project with them to clear up some really overgrown gardens beds around our garage, they went above and beyond making our space useable again. Once the project was complete they made sure to clean everything up and even cleared some weeds we had on our driveway that we hadn’t even mention to them. Can’t recommend them enough and will be calling them first for any future landscaping projects.
Esther Guess
Esther Guess
2024-09-12
The guys were quick and effective at getting all that ivy down. Great work!

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