37 Tips for Keeping Food Fresh Longer. The average household tosses out 14% of the food they buy, according to Money magazine. For the typical family, thatâs over $1,300 a year! I donât know about you, but Iâd MUCH rather spend that kind of money on a getaway with my familyâ¦not throwing it in the trash!
By graphing compost temperature over time, you can tell how far along the decomposition has progressed. A well constructed compost system will heat up to 40 or 50C within two to three days. As readily decomposable organic matter becomes depleted, the temperature begins to drop and the process slows considerably.
Use compost as a buffer agent. If your soil's pH is only one pH point or so off, adding compost will give it a buffer of one pH point (so, soil with a pH of 7 would be able to grow plants that require a pH level of 6 to 8). Simply spread a 4-inch layer over the soil and then turn it into the soil to a depth of 8 inches.