Compost-making when you live in the Tropics can be a real challenge. Where do you buy a composter? And can dog muck be thrown in? Yes, I had to deal with all kinds of cringeworthy issues once I had decided to become an eco-correct gardener. You see, when I bought my house it came with a jungle in the back garden - about four trees, I think. I lost count after gettig lost out there two or three times. But here is the thing - Mrs Beaumont and I had bought our house in leafy suburbia. So we were not the only ones with Triffids in the back garden.
But I could not bring myself to do what everybody else seemed to be doing - dragging their garden refuse down the street and dumping it at the roadside. So I became the Compost King of my neighbourhood. I had a water tank in my back garden. It became a born-again, buck-shee composter. So how do you make compost.
Get a composter. I use water tanks. Add to it
- mown grass
- fallen leaves
- shredded paper
- fruit
- salad leaves
- water
Don't add
- bacon rind
- meat off-cuts
- pet excrement
I bought a grinder for grinding up twigs and thin branches. This was pricey but effective. And in Brazil, as with all things electrical, you have to make sure it takes either 120v or 220v. You should turn the content on a regular basis. Let's say weekly. After six months empy the composter by sieving the content. Put that in your plant pots and add top soil.
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