Hardcore Greenness: Building A Compost Pile

Now from the inside of your home to the outside. There are plenty of options to make your yard “green”.

First, opt to plant trees, shrubs, and flowers that are native to your area. By designing your landscape with native plants, it means it’ll take a lot less to maintain and a lot less water. For example, if you live in a desert area, skip the green grass that will require lots of water that is usually scarce in the area. Planting an exotic flower will take much more work to get it to grow, and native plants will eliminate the use of pesticides or chemicals to make them grow.

What you plant on the outside of your home can make a difference inside your home. Planting big trees that provide plenty of shade in the summer and then lose their leaves in the fall could make a difference in your energy bill. If you strategically plant trees around your home that are full of leaves, it provides shade for your home. Those leaves block out the sun, thus making your home cooler and cutting down on your AC use. Then when fall rolls around, and those leaves begin to fall, it will allow the sun to enter your home and warm it up. By having the sun warm up your house, it will cut down on how much you use the heater.

Now when it comes time to maintain your plants, don’t use pesticides or chemicals! Organic Gardening has a list of organic gardening tips and products. Tip number 12 is pretty interesting. I don’t know if slugs and snails are good or bad for your garden, but if they are a bother to you, set out a container of beer which attracts slugs and snails. According to the website, the little critters “promptly drown” in the container of beer. Also, take a look at all the non-chemical pesticides and weed killers. And if you do have grass in your yard, you might want to consider using a reel mower or an electric mower, which won’t emit gas into the air. Clean Air Gardening has quite a few different examples of electric mowers.

Now to building a compost. To begin building a compost pile, rake all fallen leaves and grass clippings into a 3′ x 3′ x 3′ pile. Then add enough water to saturate the pile, but don’t drench it. After a few days, the pile will heat up and then eventually cool down. The pile will take more time to break  down into compost, usually two months to two years. Visit the Environmental Protection Agency site for more tips on what can and cannot be added to a compost pile and tips on how to maintain one.