COMPOSTING 101

Whether you’d like to grow your own veggies for fun at your off-grid homestead or you’re preparing for a long drawn-out crisis that’d require the ability to harvest fresh produce for several seasons, you’ll have many problems to surmount. One of the most glaring issues is how to fertilize those crops when the Miracle-Gro runs out. Our forebears grew their own food without the help of any synthetic products from a garden center and in an ecologically friendly way.

You too can sustainably create much of the nourishment that your survival garden will need. Feed the plants that feed you, with the simple process of composting.

You can think of composting as “managed rot.” This is the procedure of collecting plant material (and possibly some animal materials) and assisting the decay of this organic matter so that it can be used as a fertilizer and soil conditioner. The act of composting creates rich plant food, while simultaneously addressing some waste disposal issues.

The finished compost provides nitrogen (for healthy growth of stems and leaves) and phosphorus (which is needed for flowers and fruit)