Should you keep your compost bin inside or outside the greenhouse?
Inside, that’s the way to go.
This decision could have some nifty benefits for both your compost and your greenhouse.
Greenhouse composting is a fantastic way to produce compost all year round while also giving your greenhouse environment a little love.
Don't assume that any old composting method will do the trick in heating your DIY greenhouse kit. If you want to reap the benefits of composting inside the greenhouse, you need to do it the right way.
Hot composting is where it's at! It involves layering your compost materials with green and brown layers (think grass cuttings, food waste, paper bags, dried leaves—you name it), and don't forget the secret ingredient, livestock manure. Trust me, your plants will thank you.
How much compost do you actually need to heat up that greenhouse?
You want a 1-cubic yard compost pile for every 23 square feet of greenhouse space. That magical ratio will give your DIY backyard greenhouse a cozy internal temperature boost of around 23°F to 35°F above the outside nighttime winter temperature.
Now, if your greenhouse setup allows for it, here's a trick:
Trench Composting
Dig rows of alternating trenches in your gardening greenhouse, fill them up with compost and plant your crops in the rows between those compost-filled trenches.
The compost not only heats up the soil and air temperature in the greenhouse but also blesses your plants with that nutrient-rich goodness from the decomposing material.
Here 5 Awesome Benefits of Composting in a Greenhouse.
- The compost works its magic and heats up the greenhouse, which means you can start planting spring crops earlier or even grow certain plants throughout the winter—something that might be a bit tricky otherwise.
- The greenhouse returns the favor by keeping that compost nice and toasty, not letting all that precious heat escape into the outside world. It's a warm and cozy partnership.
- Oh, and let's not forget about the incredible soil benefits. The compost works wonders for improving the quality of your greenhouse soil. You can use it directly for your plants inside the greenhouse or spread it throughout your garden. If possible, you can also practice trench composting, as it improves the soil inside the greenhouse.
- The compost pile also helps with another crucial thing—CO2 levels. You see, greenhouse plants need CO2 for that oh-so-important photosynthesis process. But sometimes, the greenhouse can get a bit stingy with its CO2, leading to slow plant growth and sad, unhealthy plants. The compost pile replenishes the CO2 in the greenhouse, giving your plants the boost they need to thrive.
- Here's a real gem - composting in a greenhouse lets you produce rich, weed-free compost, compost all year round. Thanks to the insulation provided by the DIY greenhouse kit, the composting process can continue even during those chilly winter months. It's like a composting paradise where things keep churning and breaking down, no matter how frosty it gets outside.
So there you have it, my composting aficionados. Composting in a greenhouse brings a whole bunch of benefits. It's a dynamic duo that keeps your greenhouse fruit trees and vegetables warm, helps your plants grow, improves the soil, and gives you rich compost all year round.