To all the composters, here are my monsoon tips to you for keeping your compost safe and healthy. The compost process is a sturdy one, there can’t be anything wrong in it. There are no strict final product guidelines and hence, you can be free of burden to achieve the ‘perfect compost’. Because, there is nothing like perfect compost, each and every harvest is beautiful and different. This made me realize how non-uniform the nature is in every form.
Still, showing some care to your compost isn’t a bad idea.
So, monsoons are approaching and composters need to be mindful of moisture levels in the compost bins. We have to make sure that no rain water enters our bin as the kitchen waste is sufficient with it's moisture for the process to keep going. With excess of water the content will become soggy and hinder the process. Keep your compost in shed. If there is space constraint then cover it with a big polythene bag, just like wearing a raincoat. I call this 'raincoat composting'. This will not allow any rain water to enter. When the day is clear of rains or slightly sunny, do remove the raincoat and let the compost breathe.
With rains, there is less or no availability of dry waste. Without dry waste which provides carbon content to the compost pile, the process can’t take place. Your pile would be smelly and will attract flies, rodents, ants and what not. In order to have sufficient amount of dry leaves in monsoons, we need to store some for usage over 2-3 months. I usually crush the dry leaves and put them in a big polybag as in the picture. Two of these bags help me through out the season. Crushing and storing the leaves will let you store more in less volume. If you can’t get leaves now, buy cocopeat online. It is alternate to leaves and works perfectly for the smooth process.
Both these tricks will come handy to your monsoon composting session. Hope these hacks make your composting happier, I learnt it hard way but hope the other way for you . Happy composting.
Have you checked Episode 4 of Waste Unwrap?