If you’re a regular here at Help Me Compost (thank you!), you know I talk a lot about balancing greens and browns. Greens (organic wastes high in nitrogen) and browns (carbon-rich wastes) are 2 essential ingredients your compost needs in a specific ratio. I like to keep composting stress-free, so I usually give loose guidelines…
You may know that home composting is the best way to take care of your plants, but you struggle with time or simply forget to give your compost enough attention. Most of us would rather tend to our plants than supervise the compost! But did you know… There’s an easy composting method that can be…
There’s no doubt about it! We’re bringing on climate change. Our demands for electricity, transport, and stuff to fill our homes create an ever-thicker blanket of greenhouse gasses around the earth, trapping the sun’s heat and triggering worrying changes in weather patterns. We’re responsible for speeding up climate change, but there’s an easy thing we…
Mushroom compost and cow manure are two soil supplements containing animal droppings with multiple uses in the garden. When mature, they both look like rich soil and smell earthy. But what makes mushroom compost and manure different, and is one better than the other? Let’s measure these soil nourishers against each other to see if…
As gardeners and food growers, we often look for a natural substance to boost our vegetable or garden plant growth. Humic acid compost tea is one of those fantastic substances! It can significantly benefit your plant’s nutrient uptake and retain nutrients in the soil. Here’s everything you need to know… What Is Humic Acid? Humic…
Taking care of fruit trees is slightly different from taking care of vegetables. Fruit production is very demanding on the tree, using many available nutrients. For this reason, many gardeners apply compost to fruit trees. It’s a great way to help boost your yield! But when should you do this, and how much compost should…
If you think you need a yard to compost, think again. You can become a zero-waste lifestyle wizard even if you live in a studio apartment. Just by making compost! Food waste makes up about 25% of landfills, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. So, composting your kitchen scraps will earn you tons of…
You may have heard that urine is good for your plants. And as a compost enthusiast, this may have given you a bright idea! Can you recycle urine and add benefits to your composting process? If so, how should you do it, and are there any dangers when adding urine to compost? Below I’ll give…
Is your garden lawn looking frazzled? Want to make it your garden’s main attraction instead of the blemish it is now? You don’t need powerful potions and powders. Instead, go back to basics and try something that’s been enhancing lawns for years and years: adding compost! Compost isn’t a cutting-edge treatment, but it’s enough to…
If you’ve ever monitored fingernail clippings, you’ll know they look the same as the day you clipped them, even months later. You might then wonder whether fingernails decompose (and if not, what happens to all the little bits people worldwide keep snipping off their nails?). The most basic composting rule says you should only compost…