What are the Best Uses for Homemade Compost?

The benefits of homemade compost become quickly apparent after only a short investment of time and money. Because homemade compost is rich in nutrients and minerals that plants need to grow, compost can be used in home gardens and plants around the house. To get started, be sure to know what should go in your homemade compost and what should be kept out, and find a space within your home or in your back yard where effective composting can take place. Composting can be done either in large batches in backyard bins, or in small, countertop, odor-free containers, which cuts down on space and makes composting possible for people living in smaller homes or apartments.

First of all, be sure to keep meats, oils, and most dairy out of your homemade compost. Organic materials such as grass clippings and leaves are good materials for your compost, as are kitchen scraps and vegetables. Coffee grounds, eggshells, and even shredded paper can be used in your compost. Once you start composting, it will take about a year for proper decomposition to take place as long as you have properly aerated your homemade compost and kept it appropriately moist. Once your compost is ready to be used, it can be mixed with soil to create nutrient-rich ground for a garden or flower bed.

Your homemade compost can also be used as mulch for trees or bushes, and it is a great choice when laying down new grass for a lawn. If you don't have a yard, garden, or other place to use your homemade compost, you still have good options for which to use your compost. Because composting reduces greenhouse emissions by keeping food matter out of landfills, it is always a good idea to make homemade compost; but if you don't have anywhere to put your compost, try bringing it to a community garden. That way, your compost can be used to enrich soil for produce and flowers that will benefit your community.

Your homemade compost is great for use in household plants and flowers, as well. Window plants will thrive on the oxygen- and nutrient-rich soil, and the plants in turn will provide fresh oxygen to your home or apartment. In addition, your compost can be used for seed-sowing--or, growing plants from seeds. If none of these options suit you, you can always donate your compost to a local school's science department for their experiments and projects.