For many people who maintain gardens, having a large amount of organic waste, from grass clippings to leaves and dead plants is common. Unfortunately, for most, this goes to waste...

1. Creating and Maintaining A Compost Heap withCool Garden Things www.CoolGardenThings.com

2. What you need to know about creating a Compost Heap for an improved gardening experience... For many people who maintain gardens, having a large amount of organic waste, from grass clippings to leaves and dead plants is common. Unfortunately, for most, this goes to waste... www.CoolGardenThings.com

3. Choosing a Garden that is Perfect for You Many waste money and time having these wastes transported to a landfill. Which, isn’t just a waste of good compost; it’s a waste of everything that goes into the process of transporting it (the garbage man’s time, the money you pay for the removal, etc). Once you understand composting, you'll understand that this is truly a travesty. www.CoolGardenThings.com

4. You see, all this garbage that people are trying to get rid of can be a much better supplement for your garden than any fertilizer or chemical you can buy from the local nursery or garden store. Did you know that if you properly facilitate the decomposition of all of your organic waste, it will eventually alter chemically until it is in such a state that it can be nothing but beneficial nutrition for the other plants you are growing? www.CoolGardenThings.com

5. Therefore, you can now easily turn all the stuff you would have thrown away into a useable top grade fertilizer for the health of your garden. How cool is that? www.CoolGardenThings.com

6. Starting out... Usually compost is maintained in a pile somewhere in your backyard. However, usually the thought of a compost heap also brings forth disturbing images to ones mind; Things like heaps of rotting garbage emitting a rancid and horrid odor that you can smell 4 blocks away. www.CoolGardenThings.com

7. Choosing a Garden that is Perfect for You However, if you understand how it works and maintain it correctly, you’ll be able to produce great compost without producing any of that offensive odor. When I first began my compost pile years ago in an effort to improve environmental health, I made several major errors that effected how my compost turned out. One of the more difficult types of gardens to manage is a fruit garden. It's definitely the most high-maintenance. One of the more difficult types of gardens to manage is a fruit garden. It's definitely the most high-maintenance. www.CoolGardenThings.com

8. These included preventing the pile from the proper amount of oxygen it truly needed, and keeping it to dry. What happened is it ended up decomposing in a very non-beneficial way, and producing an odor so foul that I had government agents knocking at my door demanding I fix the situation (something you will want to avoid). www.CoolGardenThings.com

9. How do I choose the optimal location for my compost pile? When you are choosing your spot where you will be putting all of your compost materials, you should aim for a large square footage. Why? Because having a really deep pile of compost is not a great idea, due generally because the deeper sections will not be exposed to the elements that are required for the process to work properly. www.CoolGardenThings.com

10. It has been found better to be able to spread it all out over a larger area. So say you have a shed or a tool shack of some sort, it would be a possibility to spread it out over the roof (with boards to keep it from falling off, of course). I have personally seen this done several times, and it helps keep the pile out of the way while allowing for a beneficial large square footage. www.CoolGardenThings.com

11. Choosing a Garden that is Perfect for You What can I put into my compost pile? A compost heap can technically consist of any organic waste from your yard, garden or kitchen. This includes leaves, grass, any leftover food that won’t be eaten, or newspaper (no more than a fifth of your pile should consist of newspaper, due to it having a harder time composting with the rest of the materials). One of the more difficult types of gardens to manage is a fruit garden. It's definitely the most high-maintenance. One of the more difficult types of gardens to manage is a fruit garden. It's definitely the most high-maintenance. www.CoolGardenThings.com

12. In most cases, if you have a specified barrel devoted to storing all of these things, it will usually fill up within several weeks. What we have found is that it is usually rather easy to obtain compost, the hard part comes from getting it to compost correctly. Once you have begun to get a large assortment of materials in your compost heap, you should moisten the whole pile. This step will encourage the process of composting. www.CoolGardenThings.com

13. Also, chop every element of the pile into the smallest pieces possible. And, as the materials start to compress and meld together as they begin to decompose, you will want to frequently head outside and aerate the pile. You can do this with a shovel and just mix it all up, or an aeration tool to poke dozens of tiny holes into it. Doing this step will increase the oxygen flow to each part of the pile, and oxygen is absolutely necessary for any decomposition to take place. www.CoolGardenThings.com

14. Anyway, if maintaining a compost pile sounds like something that you want to do, start out by considering the different placement options. Because the hardest part about maintaining a pile is choosing a spot that provides enough square footage without intruding on the rest of your yard or garden. www.CoolGardenThings.com

15. And keep in mind that you can usually prevent the horrible odors that most people associate with compost heaps, however, it’s still not a pleasant thing to have to look at whenever you go outside in your yard or garden. www.CoolGardenThings.com

16. Thanks For Tuning In and Happy Composting! www.CoolGardenThings.com