There are many things to consider when going Off Grid and one of the less romantic parts to off grid and homesteading is building a sizable and efficient composting area for your home.
WHAT IS COMPOSING and WHY is it IMPORTANT to an OFF GRID Lifestyle?
Composting unfortunately is one of the overlooked areas of building a homestead, yet it's a very important and essential one for those who have the desire to live and fend for themselves off grid.
So what exactly is COMPOSTING?
Composting is creating a MEGA- NUTRIENT SOIL to use in your garden while at the same time creating a smaller footprint on the earth where you use specific daily items for composting instead of tossing them in the trash. Essential ingredients for compost are fruit and vegetable trimmings left over after eating, old plants from your vegetable garden, as well as dead leaves and grass clippings from your yard. One of the main things to remember is compost feeds the soil.
Just because you compost doesn't mean you don't purchase fertilizer. Fertilizer is essential in the process as well because fertilization feeds the plants. Doing both is a must for the soil and the Plants themselves.
There is a PROCESS in creating Compost:
In composting your goal is to create a rich matter which is called GREEN WASTE.
You want it to be a heap of wet organic material that also retains a higher temperature over 100 degrees. As you continue to pile the fruit and vegetables trimmings as well as cut grass and dead leaves into your compost box you'll need to be patient as the matter begins to break down over months. It may take 6 months to a year to start using your compost from the bottom of your compost box, which will have an opening at the bottom, to remove it when it's ready. As you remove it from the bottom you'll continue to add new compost to the top so you never run out. You will need to monitor the process of your compost by adding water, ensuring it's at a good temperature and by regularly turning the mixture. Make sure you also bring in EARTHWORMS if needed to encourage a quicker breakdown of matter.
BELOW IS A REASONABLE WAY TO PILE ON YOUR COMPOST:
There is nothing pretty or glamorous about creating compost for your homestead and off grid home, but it's something that's essential in optimal growth of your gardens fruits, vegetables, plants and trees and it's creating a smaller foot print for the world. When we go Off Grid we are not only going things to better our own lives, but the lives of others. You can't life a sustainable lifestyle if you don't take both under consideration...you and the world. If we all did that in our own little circles the world would simply be a better place.