It’s not necessary, but it will yield results sooner if you do. Stirring and lightly watering the content of your compost bin speeds up the compost process. What can I add to my backyard compost bin? Backyard Composting Troubleshooting Guide.Getting Started with Backyard Composting.Classes are available in English and Spanish and discounted composting bins are available for purchase.ĭownload our guides to vermicomposting and composting at home: To learn more information about composting, attend a free compost workshop hosted by the City of Long Beach. These worms can be easily obtained by purchasing from local suppliers such as Armstrong Garden Center or McCrawls. These worms are incredible eaters of food scraps! They eat half their own weight every day, so even a small bin of red worms will produce several pounds of all-natural, chemical-free fertilizer to mix into potting soil or garden mulch. The best kind of worms to use is Eisenia Fetida (aka “Red Wigglers”). Vermicomposting is simply using worms to compost food scraps. Humus that results from composting adds nutrients to the soil that can increase the health of your plants and help save money ordinarily spent on fertilizers. The resulting material is called “finished compost” or “humus,” an important component of healthy soil. Organic materials like fruits, vegetables, and yard debris are collected and then decomposed with the help of oxygen, water, and microorganisms. Setting up a composting system in your backyard speeds up this natural process. This process provides minerals and nutrients needed by plants. This natural process is called “composting.”Ĭomposting occurs in nature as vegetation falls to the ground and slowly decays. Yard debris and food scraps can easily be broken down and converted into a valuable soil amendment for your garden.

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Download red wigglers for composting