Do You Save Money By Making Your Own Compost

Discussion in Home & Garden started by Ke Gordon • Sep 12, 2016.

  1. Ke Gordon

    Ke GordonWell-Known Member

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    Many people who have gardens make their own compost. These might consist of coffee grounds organic materials etc. It is easy to make compost, and is good for plants. It could also be used for potting soil. I have made compost a few times.
     
  2. atlmom5

    atlmom5Active Member

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    Yes, I compost and it saves me a lot of money too. I also make compost tea which is also very good for plants. If a person can't compost or doesn't want to....sometimes certain city municipalities give out free compost.
     
  3. Corzhens

    CorzhensWell-Known Member

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    We have a compost bin here. It is just a space enclosed by hollow blocks. It is where we throw vegetable trimmings and other perishable items like fruits peel and rind. The earthworms inhabiting the bin eats the perishable items and turn it into compost. When we need fertilizer, all we need is to get some soil from the compost bin and surely it will energize the plants. The earthworms are our friends when it comes to composting.
     
  4. gata montes

    gata montesActive Member

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    Having always gardened organically and also being someone who hates anything going to waste - especially when it can be put to good use elsewhere and save money at the same time too - yes making my own compost is something I've always done.

    Apart from that - it seems daft to pay an extortionately high price for something commercially produced - when some of the best soil amendments, fertilizers and compost can easily be made for free - just by recycling leftover kitchen scraps and plant waste.

    Particularly bearing in mind that - not only does conditioning the soil annually with decomposed organic matter - result in healthy fertile soil that doesn't require any additional fertilizers - chemical or otherwise - but as plants grown in healthy fertile soil don't generally attract much in the way of pests or diseases - the savings made all round are huge - simply because - in an organic environment where everything is in balance - there isn't in reality any need to buy either fertilizer or pesticide.
     
  5. Denis Hard

    Denis HardWell-Known Member

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    There are a number of large trees that shed flower and leaves in my home. I rake them up almost every evening and into the compost pit they go. Add some kitchen waste and animal waste and they make great manure.

    The organic compost manure saves me a lot of money because I don't have to buy fertilizers.
     
  6. Ke Gordon

    Ke GordonWell-Known Member

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    I have a composting bin, but it is mostly filled with grass clippings. It seems like it takes that matter forever to degrade. I wonder what might accelerate the process. Those of you who are experienced composters can maybe give me some good ideas. I have though of adding a little bit of water or some organic material to the compost.
     
  7. cocolgooh

    cocolgoohActive Member

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    I have two large compost bins. I put things like leaves and grass cuttings in them as well as food trimmings or peels. I'd definitely rather make use of it than throw it in the bin. I think it's better making your own compost as you know what goes in it and know that nothing artificial was added to it. I was actually thinking about getting another compost bin. I'm not entirely sure how we seem to need so many, but I guess we eat a lot of foods where the peels go in there!
     
  8. Vinaya

    VinayaActive Member

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    I live in a farm and I make my own compost from animal waste, human waste, and other decomposing materials such as plant leaves, crop stalks etc.
     
  9. luckycharm

    luckycharmActive Member

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    I have a small vegetable garden and also many fruit plants in our yard. I use compost made at home for fertilizing them and this is quite effective. This not only saves my money, but it also nourishes the plants from root to leaves. Unlike plants that are grown up using inorganic fertilizers, our plants are immune to diseases. So there is no use of pesticides or other poisonous substances. Whenever there is a need we can very well address it using organic methods.

    I put dry leaves, vegetable scraps and grass clippings in a place specified for this purpose. Once it makes a layer, I throw some cow dung on top and it will fasten its decay. I think earthworms also like this combination. This place is inhabited by a lot of earthworms who are our friends. This is the best soil conditioner we can ever have.
     
  10. Alexandoy

    AlexandoyWell-Known Member

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    From what I remember, I only bought chemical fertilizer just once before we moved to this house. After that, I created a compost bin in one of the makeshift planter box by the side of our house. With the healthy earthworms, the perishable items that we throw in the compost bin is converted into fertilizer after a month or so. The soil is now about 6 inches thick with ripe organic fertilizer that is ready for use anytime.
     
  11. tonyb

    tonybActive Member

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    As a small scale farmer one of things I enjoy doing is making my own compost from the pit. I try as much as I can to make it rich using animal waste, plant remains, poultry waste and others. I believe in supplying my crops rich compost than fertilisers. Good enough they've been producing bountifully using nutrients from the compost manure.
     
  12. biege

    biegeActive Member

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    I've done this before back in 2012 when a friend introduced some red worms. I'm quite interested in planting my own organic vegetables so I decided to ask for a can full of worms and do my own compost. The interesting part is that I don't have to waste food anymore because I can now convert them into an organic and rich fertilizer.
     
  13. remnant

    remnantActive Member

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    In my region, most people keep cattle for dairy purposes and the amount of manure generated is actually in excess. Compost is made by institutions to supplement their needs. Personally, I have never really made a concerted effort to make compost. We are currently in the short rains season here in East Africa and I am planning to plant sweet potatoes which don't require any extra inputs.
     
  14. Jason76

    Jason76Active Member

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    When I was a child my family owned some chickens and they produced a lot of waste. However, we never thought about recycling the hay, the stuff that captured the waste. However, my father was into gardening big time so that may have been a wise idea. Anyhow, my father wasn't an organic farmer and used a lot of chemicals in his farming. Perhaps if he had used organic methods which might have included recycled compost then his health would have benefited and it might have been much cheaper.
     
  15. Beast_Titan

    Beast_TitanActive Member

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    I have rabbits, I raised them for their meat and recently I discovered their urine makes a good fertilizer. Their poop on the other hand, I use them as composting medium for mushrooms. I managed to make a system where neighbors are not able smell their fecal matter because I mixed them with rice hulls.
     
  16. Vinaya

    VinayaActive Member

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    I make compost for my plants. In fact I live in a farm and I have many cattle. I use cattle waste to make compost for my farm and garden. I have a biogas plant and I feed cow dung and kitchen waste (organic) to my biogas plant. I not only get free as for my kitchen but also quality compost for my plants.
     
  17. kaka135

    kaka135Active Member

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    Yes, I make my own compost as I think it is not only making the natural fertilizers to help our plants to grow better, it helps to recycle the waste from our kitchen as well. I am learning more to make better compost, as the way I am making might not be right or too simple. :)
     
  18. Beast_Titan

    Beast_TitanActive Member

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    I have 2 blenders, One of them I use for making food while the other is used for making composts! Yes Blenders can help compost decay faster. I usually blend vegetable trimmings , egg shells and leftovers with some water until it is liquefied. It helps making my compost brew faster.
     
  19. Nakitakona

    NakitakonaActive Member

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    We don't have enough place for our garden. Our spare space from our backyard is used by my wife for her mini garden for orchids and other flowering bearing plants. I notice that she seldom apply fertilizer to her plants. I don't think she needs compost for her plants.

    I remember that I have a reasonable space or pit for the compost in our school where I was teaching. That compost is used by our pupils for their garden planted of various vegetable crops. It is indeed a big savings of money than that of buying a commercial fertilizer.