Compost Mixer

Food prices are rising all over the world. Many people are now turning to gardening to help offset this rise. A trend that is also resurfacing is home composting. But what is composting, why should we do it, and what are the benefits?

Composting is the controlled accelerated aerobic microbial decomposition of organic materials. Sounds complex, but it is not really. Another way to describe composting is plants rot and as they rot or decompose the material left over is Humus.

People have been composting for thousands of years. You may already be informally composting and just don't know it. Just making a pile of plant wastes such as grass or leaves is composting. Eventually these decomposed, or break down into nutrients that fed new plants.
Composting is most effective when you have the right levels or four things, microbes, air, water, and temperature.

Microbes

They are the engines of decomposition. They do the work to breakdown the plant materials. A microbe is a tiny organism, including molds and bacteria.

Air

is a requirement of the microbes. They are living things and need oxygen to survive just like we do. This means your compost pile will have to have lots of holes in it for the air to get in. Traditionally, this was done using a pitch fork to turn the compost. Many composters made today were developed such as the compost mixer which allow for lots of air to be simply mixed into the compost. This prevents anaerobic
decay, or decay with out the presence of oxygen. When things decompose with out oxygen, it makes a strong rotten smell.

Water

Also is a requirement of the microbes. It also softens the materials and makes them easier to digest. In a compost pile or a compost bin moisture levels must be monitored. If it is too wet, the microbes will not work correctly and if it is too dry the microbes could die.

Temperature

The final key to microbes effectiveness. The higher the temperatures the faster the microbes will breakdown the organic materials. This is why there are almost no leaf litter in the tropical regions, compared to dense leaf litter in the northern forests. This is why most composting containers are black, to capture and hold the heat. Decomposition will continue down to around 50 degrees.

 

Why should we compost?

Up to 30% of the materials we send to landfills are kitchen wastes and yard wastes. As landfills fill up, the cost of throwing away raises. Many communities are moving to a pay as you throw system. If you can reduce your trash by 30%, then you can reduce your cost by 30 % as well.

Compost turns bad soils into good soils. Compost added to soils that have too much clay allow for more porosity so the soil drains better. While compost added to sandy soils help them hold water better.

Using compost instead of chemical fertilizers helps to save energy. Compost adds nutrients that chemical fertilizers can not. Plus the compost you make in your compost mixer is free. You have already paid for the "wasted" kitchen scraps and yard debris that go into it.

The green movement has made us all a bit more carbon aware by recycling our own wastes we become part of the solution.

Compost Mixer Tools

Popular composters with built in mixers