How to Use Sawdust for Compost
Finished compost is also known by the names humus and loam. It is a light, fluffy soil that is rich in organic material and nutrients that plants need to thrive. One of the best ways to make compost is to pile together nitrogen rich "green" material such as grass clippings and kitchen scraps with carbon rich "brown" material such as sawdust and dead leaves and allow them to decompose. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Compost bin
- Sawdust
- Dead leaves
- Kitchen scraps
- Grass clippings
- Garden shears
- Lawn mower
- Garden hose
- Garden fork
- Digital compost thermometer with a probe attachment
- Tarp
Instructions
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1
Chop your large dry organic materials such as grass clippings and leaves by running over them with a mower. Reducing the material size helps shorten the amount of time that it takes to compost.
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Reduce the size of large kitchen scraps by cutting them with a pair of garden shears.
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Layer organic green material and brown material in your compost bin. Each layer of greens should be twice as thick as your layer of brown material. Wet your compost pile with a garden hose until it is as damp as a wrung-out sponge.
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4
Check the internal temperature of the compost daily using the compost thermometer.
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Allow the center of your compost bin to heat to between 130 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature helps to kill all parasites that are in your compost as well as speeding the time it takes to decompose.
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Stir the compost with a garden fork whenever the temperature falls below 130. Stirring the compost causes it to heat again.
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Cover the compost to keep out pests and hold moisture in. Your compost should be finished in approximately six weeks.
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