How to Keep Pest out of Your Compost
Composting has become so popular, this nutrient-rich material is a gardener’s gold. Compost is great to grow all sorts of plant species especially edible plants because of the great yield. Compost is a plant’s dream not only because it’s nutrient-rich but because of its conditioning effect.
However, one of the challenges that so many persons face when engaging in the building of compost is the many pests that are attracted when composting. If these pests are not brought under control can become a big problem, if you are one of those persons who desire to start composting without the interference of pests or seeking to rid your compost of pests then continue reading for the solution to build a pest-free compost pile.
What Should I do?
1. Do not put scraps of meat in your compost pile because this will encourage rodents such as rats, raccoons, etc.. only plant parts, fruit, and vegetable scraps along with eggshells coffee ground, etc.. should be used. Anything that’s organic besides animal products can be used.
2. Compost bins that are fully enclosed with a latch will get the job done.
3. The use of a tumbler-bin with support will go to work for you.
4. Covering the bin with mesh wire will work wonders.
5. Mice don’t like wet conditions, wetting your pile in the fall especially when mice are active and moving about will discourage them from your pile. A word of caution, however, waterlogged compost can encourage disease.
6. It’s suggested that planting mint near your compost pile will discourage mice as long as the population is small
7. A barrel or bin that’s elevated from the ground is effective.
How to Build a Compost Pile
1. Locate an area that is leveled and drains well because what you don’t want is to build your compost pile on an area that drains poorly which will encourage disease. This step applies if you are building compost directly on the soil’s surface. If from a bin the bin should be leveled also.
2. This area should be partly sunny.
3. Before adding food scrapes ensure they are chopped up.
4. Next, add brown and green matter which consists of leaves, shredded paper, and disease-free\weed-free grass clippings. As you mix in one part green mix in two-part brown, also adding animal manure such as cow or chicken manure will speed up the heating process while providing a nitrogen source for beneficial microbes.
5. These ingredients should be moistened as you add them.
6. Continue adding these materials will build your compost pile layer by layer.
7. Use a garden fork and continue turning your compost pile every one to two weeks.
8. As you turn the compost moisten dry areas.
Benefits of composting
1. Reduce the need for using chemical fertilizers.
2. Composting is environmentally friendly.
3. Will retain moisture.
4. Composting will help to balance soil ph.
5. Composting will assist in soil erosion.
6. The use of compost will suppress plant disease as well as pests.
7. Can save you money by recycling.
9. Encourages valuable microbes in the soil.
10. Promotes a higher yield of food crops.
Additional information
1. By turning the compost pile with a pitchfork will help in the aeration process which will reduce odors that will in turn discourage pests.
2. Fresh kitchen scraps should not be exposed, always cover fresh kitchen scrapes with a layer of grass or leaves. Doing this will not only reduce odors that might attract pests but will also help microbes to break down this material much faster.
The final word on how to keep pests out of your compost pile
Keeping pests out of your compost pile is that simple, all it takes is following these steps and you will have a compost pile that’s pest-free. Investing in composting will give you soil that’s nutrient-rich helping your garden plants to thrive as you reap the rewards of your labor. Composting is a gardener’s gold so let’s take full advantage of building a compost pile that has proven to be worth the investment.
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About the author
Norman loves being in the garden, both at home and for his job....
he is 'Natures Little helper' being outdoors, growing his vegetables and flowers from an early age.
Now having spent over 22 years in the profession he want to give some of his knowledge to others...
his vast array of hints and tips you will find scattered over this site will help you no end growing plants in your garden.
helloo norman, thanks alot for sharing such an amazing and informative post with us all, i really want to thank you for bring up these website, i believe these is exactly what my uncle really needs, he owns a farm land, and he has been trying to make the soil fertile to be more compost, sorry to say but hes effort is really going to waste cause pest are everywhere, and he has been looking for an alternative, i will sure recommend him to your site, thanks for the info
Pests can really put a damper on things but with these proven methods your uncle will have help. Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing this information with your uncle. Hope that he has good success.
Hello there, Thanks for sharing this awesome article i know it would be of great help to the public as it has been of help to me. I have been finding it hard to get my animals off the compost I think I would try this method out and hope it works for me.
Hello, so happy to help, thanks for those kind words and all the best to you.
hello awesome article you have here. this really caught my attention i just could not ignore it, am really sure that this is going to help anyone that comes across it, i have a friend who has been passing through this problem am sure going to share this with him am sure that he will be very happy to see this thanks for sharing this with me.
Thanks so much for your kind words, I am so happy to help and thanks for passing along this information.wishing you the best of success.