Do-It-Yourself: Compost for the Garden

Compost is a dark, rich material added to soil to improve it. Compost is produced when bacteria and fungi break down organic matter, aided by insects, earthworms and other organisms. This natural recycling returns nutrients to the soil. Some experts advise adding five centimeters of compost for every fifteen centimeters of turned soil.

More and more people are making their own compost at home. Composting can reduce the amount of garden and cooking waste that would otherwise go into public landfills.

Monica David from the University of Illinois Extension oversees the master gardeners program in her state. She explains that you can make a compost pile or dig a pit or use a waste container with holes cut in the side.

There are different methods of composting. Some take more work. Others take almost no work but may require waiting up to a year.

Advice about composting can be found from extension services, at garden centers, in books and on the Internet.

For example, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation lists some dos and don'ts of composting on its Web site.

Do add lime, small amounts of wood ashes or crushed eggshells to the compost pile. This will neutralize acids which may form and cause a bad smell.

Do mix grass cuttings with other wastes to loosen them up. And do keep the compost pile damp, especially during dry periods.

Do not use unfinished compost. It will rob plants of nitrogen instead of acting as a fertilizer.

Do not compost weedy plants with lots of seeds. Some seeds will not be killed during the natural heating process in composting.

Do not add meat, fish bones or fatty food wastes to the compost mixture. Protein materials do not readily decompose and they will bring animals.

And, finally, do not add diseased vegetable plants to the pile if the compost will be used on a vegetable garden. Disease organisms may reappear if you do.

Compost differs from mulch but it can be used as mulch. Mulch is placed on top of soil to protect it. Mulch is generally used to a height of about ten centimeters. But finer materials such as compost should only be two and a half to seven and a half centimeters high. Too much mulch can restrict oxygen and water flow.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. For composting links, go to 51voa.com. I'm Bob Doughty.

堆肥是用于改良土壤的深色肥沃的物质。当细菌和真菌分解有机质，加上昆虫，蚯蚓和其他有机体的帮助，堆肥就形成了。这种自然循环将养分归还到土壤中。一些专家建议每15厘米翻耕的土壤中加入5厘米的堆肥。

越来越多的人在家中自己制作堆肥。制作堆肥可以减少进入公共垃圾填埋场的花园和厨房废物。

伊利诺伊大学推广部门的Monica David负责监督其所在州的园丁计划项目。她解释说，你可以制作堆肥桩或者埋坑或者使用旁边有孔的废物容器。

制作堆肥有很多中不同的方法。有一些方法需要更多的工作，其他的则不需要做什么工作，但是需要等待一年的时间。

关于制作堆肥的建议可以在推广服务，园艺中心，书本和网络上找到。

例如，纽约州立环境保护部门在其网站上列举了制作堆肥的一些注意事项。

一定要在堆肥中加入石灰，少量的木灰和碎蛋壳。这样可以中和其中的酸性物质，以免造成难闻的气味。

一定要将切碎的草和其他废料想混合，以使其松散。一定要保持肥堆的潮湿，尤其是在干旱时期。

不要使用未制成的堆肥。这不仅不会起到肥料的作用，反而会夺取植物中的氮。

不要使用含有很多种子的草类植物制作堆肥。在制作堆肥的自然加热过程中，一些种子可以不会被杀死。

不要在堆肥混合物中加入肉，鱼刺或脂肪类废物。蛋白质类物质不容易讲解，可能会吸引很多动物。

最后，如果堆肥用于菜园中，不要向堆肥中加入有病虫害的蔬菜类植株。否则病虫害有机体将会再次出现。

堆肥与地膜不同，但是可以用作地膜。地膜通常是覆盖在土壤表层保护土壤，通常要用大约10厘米的高度。但是，像堆肥这样更好的材料只需2.5至7.5厘米的高度就可以了。过多的地膜会限制氧气和水流。