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Gold Medal Software - Volume 3 (Gold Medal) (1994).iso
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COMPOST.TXT
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1993-11-20
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If there is one undertaking that everyone has a special
recipe for it has to be the making of compost.
Any organic material is suitable for the purpose, from
food scraps, grass cuttings, prunings and leaf rakings,
to animal manures and blood and bone. You can even use
paper and any natural fibres such as wool and cotton.
These materials will all break down to form a rich and
crumbly compost, ideal for use as garden soil enrichment,
plant food and as mulch.
Keep your compost moist but not wet.
As the decomposition process gets underway, heat is
generated which helps the material to break down.
This heat serves to kill any weed seeds, virus diseases
and fungus that may be present.
Preferably have at least two heaps, bins or boxes in use
simultaneouly so that a cycle can be established to
provide a constant supply. (see graphic illustration)
One bin is used for new material while the other is
maturing.
About three weeks after starting a new bin, fork the
contents from the top and sides of the mature heap onto
the new one and cover with a layer of soil and straw.
Alternatively the top and side layers can be used to
start a new heap, when this top layer becomes the bottom
layer of the new heap.
An eight to fourteen week cycle is normally required in
good weather to fully decompose the contents of a new
heap.
If odour becomes a problem, sprinkle a thin dusting of
agricultural lime on the heap.
Also apply a dusting of blood and bone and ash to help
the decomposition process along.
Avoid adding bulbous weeds, nut grass, onion weed,
wandering jew, and kikuyu runners, as these may survive
the internal heat of the heap and become a nuisance in
the finished product.
Add a little slow release fertiliser to the heap to add
nutrients to the mixture as it percolates down through
the material.
Your compost is ready to use when you can no longer
recognise the contents of the heap or bin.
EOF