How do I start composting? (lemmy.world)

submitted 2 years ago by Mindlight@lemmy.world to c/composting@slrpnk.net

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Two years ago I started composting the cut grass from the lawnmower and occasionally some thin twigs and leaves. "Composting" as in dining it all in a cheap plastic compost container without any bottom.

In my head worms and other things would find their way there and start munching away.

In reality the end result was dry cut grass cakes and twigs. So this spring we got rid of the contents.

So ... What beginners guide to easy composting do you recommend.

I would like to start easy and in a distant future, if all goes well now, I might get an isolated container for leftover food and scrap. But that seems very distant right now.

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[-] cerement@slrpnk.net 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

a little addendum on the lawn side of things

for a greener, healthier lawn

mix in some clover (alsike, Trifolium hybridum) (especially inoculated clover seed if you can find it) into the lawn (nitrogen fixer, inoculated option adds in the right bacteria ahead of time)
- also means avoiding any herbicides (but that’s just good practice anyways)
- even better, add in both clover and dandelion (and a reminder that every part of a dandelion is edible)
leave the lawn clippings in place as mulch (or shell out for a mulching lawn mower)
- by removing the clippings, you’re removing nutrients from the system

EDIT:

a lot harder to do with a mower, but if you don’t cut shorter than 6 inches (15cm) then you trigger the grass’s grazing response rather than the damage response

this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2023

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