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mm home and garden 83 wednesday april 27 1983 mdll 4s anything and everything which decom- poses can be used when making a compost or so it is said in actual effect however it is how much and to what proportions you use your materials that will either make or break your compost a compost is simply organic matter being r turned into humus it can be made from table scraps lawn clippings dead leaves and other organic materials which will decom- pose there are several different ways of mak- ing a compost although the most common 1 one is referred to as the aerobic motbod decomposition results mainly from the ac tion of bacteria requiring oxygen and will flourish within a temperature range of 48 to 65 degrees c 120 to 150 degrees f these bacteria breed and work very fast and when given the right conditions will produce a usable compost in less than two months in 4 warm weather in cold weather however it will take a little longer possibly up to four or ave months when selecting materials you should at- t tempt to maintain a balance between the amount of carbon and nitrogen for in stance if you have a lot of wheat and straw which contain high levels of carbon you should aim to balance it with an equal quanti ty of manure which is nch in nitrogen dont use hard woods or twigs in your compost as they take longer to break down using paper is also discouraged since it will dampen and retain water be careful not to include plants which have been recently sprayed with her bicide or which are diseased in any way as it will contaminate the other materials already in the compost before starting to build your compost you should make sure to choose an appropriate location an area near a water supply shielded from harsh weather conditions and on reasonably level ground will assure a greater chance for success compost bins can either be made or pur chased at a store manufactured compost- makers vary in price anywhere from 55 to 100 homemade structures are usually made of wood brick and iron with the price depending on both the size and the nature of the materials used if usinga homemade compost bin it might be a good idea to secure the corner posts with cement or ham mer them into the ground to a depth of at least 40 cm 15 in the roof should slope toward the back to allow water drainage away from the heap it is advisable for this reason to have the cor rugated iron long enough to allow for a 30cm 12m overhang at the back when adding the various materials previously mentioned such as twigs and gar bage scraps make sure to judge whether the mixture is too dry too wet or just right if it is too dry water it with a garden hose until it becomes sufficiently damp if the mixture is too wet add dry matter to absorb the excess water activators both natural and chemical may be added to the pile to speed up the breakdown organic activators may include cow manure pomace and straw chemical activators comprise sulphate and ammonia or any other nitrogenous fertilizers most of the activators available in stores consist primarily of chemical nitrogen fertilizer in one form or another both types of activators are equally effective and it is mainly a cost comparison when deciding which one to use when using green matter in your compost the layers should be at least six to eight cen timetres apart when the matter has dried and aged the layers should be expanded to approximately 15 centimetres the compost heap may be added to until it reaches about one and a half metres in height when the pile is completed it should be covered with a three- to six- centimetre layer of soil before being topped off with the corrugated iron roof the pile should also be checked regularly for moisture content there are many benefits to making ones own compost not only is it cheaper than fer tilizer from a bag its better humus con tains microorganisms which make soil come alive it provides nutrients and helps to combine and enrich sandy soils in addition to breaking down heavier soils such as clay a compost is ideai for topdressing or mulching flower and vegetable gardens making a successful compost can be easy if you do it correctly many failures result from haste when making the original heap or from lack of attention once the compost nas 3 a been established one of the most important things to remember is not to let the heap become too wet or too dry also make sure there are equal proportions of carbon and nitrogen since a severe lack of one or the other will cause slow if not stagnant decom position within the compost loss of beat through gaps in the bin is another problem to watch for and finally check that all materials are chopped up and properly mix ed when being placed onto the heap so they are able to decompose easily tools need sharpening clean sharp garden tools will make sum mer gardening more enjoyable according to the gardening specialists in the lawn garden products group at cil dirty andor rusty spades hoes rakes shovels and other small hand tools pick up a coating of soil at each thrust this not only makes using them hard work but they do not turn the soil nearly as efficiently as clean tools a wooden spatula will remove dried earth and coarse steel wool or emery paper will remove rust and corrosion from steel tools moisten stubborn rusty or corrodded spots with oil and let sit for a couple of days and they should polish up easier in some in stances it will be necessary to polish badly corroded tools with a power wire brush a touch up with a medium file on the cutting edges of spades and hoes will make them easier to use once tools are bright and sharp it takes on ly a minute before putting them away to clean and oil them a wipe with an oily cloth containing a light lubricating oil will protect them between jobs clean tools will also last much longer country pussic successful country sales thinking of selling your country home peter l mason limited has developed a specialized marketing programme which has brought us excellnt results 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