Black gold: composting correctly
Before the beds can be planted in spring, the waste collection point from last year must first be moved and the windrow from the year before last can finally be sieved to obtain fresh compost - the black gold of the garden.
A sustainable material cycle
A healthy compost economy in the garden not only ensures a sustainable material cycle and thus makes a positive contribution to combating climate change, but also reduces the strain on your wallet. This is because almost all garden and kitchen waste can be turned into new fertile soil that provides important nutrients for plants. To do this, mix peat-free soil with your own compost and sand in an even ratio. Ideally, the compost should be sparingly enriched with horn shavings and other fertilizers beforehand so that the plants can then be supplied with sufficient nitrogen. You can find various fertilizers and horn shavings at OSCORNA, a company certified with the Austrian Ecolabel.
A freshly relocated compost windrow from the previous year
- Tips for your own compost:
- Semi-shady place in the garden with direct contact to the subsoil
- No pest-infested or diseased waste
- Good mixing of kitchen and garden waste
- Regular watering to prevent drying out
- Use Effective Microorganisms ("EMs") if necessary
- Avoid waste that is difficult to decompose, such as pine needles, cones, avocado pits and shells, nutshells, etc.
- Intermediate and top layer of finished compost for better decomposition
- After sieving, add earthworms and other beneficial organisms to the top layer
The empty collection point is ready after sieving
Company compost management with the eco-label
Hotel Schwärzler in Bregenz is an example of exemplary operational compost management in the tourism industry. The ecolabel-certified business has had a comprehensive waste management concept in place for several years and uses the bioBOY from REWIN Austria, among other things. This is a modern waste system for all food and drink waste from the kitchen, which produces a homogeneous gastro substrate from it. This in turn can then be used to produce energy, fertilizers and fuels.
The REWIN bioBOY waste system at Hotel Schwärzler in Bregenz