Make Organic Liquid Fertilizer & Compost with Kitchen Waste

1. Introduction to Organic Liquid Fertilizer and Compost

I will build a machine to make an organic liquid fertilizer and compost. The fertilizer will be organic, and it will made from kitchen waste. The most important thing is that this fertilizer will contain all the nutrients for plants. Are you surprised? No wonder, Today I will share this whole thing with you.

We will make this fertilizer by using all the discarded things like curry peels, onion peels, egg shells, and banana peels used in our home kitchen. You will use this machine to make liquid organic fertilizers and compost for your garden all year round. By using it, your garden will not need any more fertilizers.

So, let's get down to making the machine now. I will describe every step of making this machine below.

• Image Details:
  • Image Name: benefits-of-diy-fertilizer.jpg
  • Alt Text: "Homemade organic fertilizer and compost materials"
  • Caption: "Why making your own organic fertilizer and compost is beneficial."
  • Image Description: A photo of various kitchen scraps, a watering can, and a garden, showing the connection between waste and garden health.

2. Materials You Will Need

Before starting the preparation of organic liquid fertilizer and compost, first collect the required materials. Below is a list of essential and optional items to get you started:

Required Materials:

Two Large Buckets: You’ll need two sturdy buckets. One bucket will have holes for drainage in the bottom, while the other remains intact, with a tap installed near the base. These two buckets will serve as your composting system and liquid fertilizer collector.

Drill and Bit: One bucket will require several small holes in the bottom to drain liquid manure, and Another bucket will need a drill machine for the tap setup. The drill bit should be selected according to the size of the tap that will be installed under the bucket.

Tap: This will be attached to the bottom bucket for easy collection of the liquid fertilizer. A simple plastic or metal tap, available at most hardware stores, will work perfectly.

Cover for the Upper Bucket: Use a lid or cloth to cover the upper bucket. This helps keep odors and insects away from the bucket.

Optional Items:

Stool: You need a small stool to place the organic fertilizer machine. Actually, it helps you use this machine.

Watering Cans or Spray Bottles: These are used to apply liquid fertilizers at the base of plants. This will help distribute the fertilizer properly.

Outdoor Space: When composting and making compost, it is best to place the machine in an open area, such as outside the house or on the roof. Odor and dirt can be controlled easily.

Collecting these materials will make your organic liquid fertilizer and composting project more accessible and more efficient.

Quickly collect these materials, and we will complete your organic liquid fertilizer and compost machine in the next step!

• Image Details:
  • Image Name: materials-for-fertilizer-compost.jpg
  • Alt Text: "Buckets, a tap, kitchen waste, and other materials"
  • Caption: "Gathering the necessary materials for the process."
  • Image Description: An image showing two buckets, one with holes at the bottom, a tap, kitchen scraps, and tools like a drill and saw.

3. Step 1: Preparing the Buckets

To make organic liquid fertilizer and compost, first, you need to prepare the bucket. Follow the simple steps below:

Prepare the Upper Bucket (Composting Bucket):

Make Holes: Take a bucket and drill small holes in the bottom, spaced 1 inch apart. These holes will allow the liquid manure to drain into the bottom bucket. Drill as many 1-inch spaced holes as possible for better drainage.

Safety Tips: Ensure the bucket is level and stable while drilling. You can use safety glasses to protect your eyes from flying plastic pieces. If you're new to using drill machine, first practice on something else.

Prepare the Lower Bucket (Manure Collection Bucket):

Install the Tap: Then drill a hole close to the bottom of your second bucket. The hole should be a bit smaller than the tap thread for an interference fit. Thread the tap into the hole and add a pair of rubber washers around both sides with it. When everything is on, securely tighten the tap into place to ensure no gaps or leakage.

Safety Tips: Tighten the tap with a wrench if necessary, but do not overtighten, as this could cause the bucket to crack.

Assemble the System:

Once both buckets are ready, place the bucket with holes on top of the bucket with the tap. The upper bucket will hold your kitchen waste, and the lower bucket will collect the nutrient-rich liquid fertilizer, which can be accessed via the tap as needed.

Now, your liquid organic fertilizer-making machine is fully assembled! You can easily produce liquid manure and compost from kitchen waste using this simple method.

• Image Details:
  • Image Name: preparing-buckets.jpg
  • Alt Text: "Preparing buckets with holes and a tap"
  • Caption: "Drilling holes and attaching the tap to create your DIY fertilizer system."
  • Image Description: A close-up image of someone drilling holes into a bucket and attaching a tap to another bucket.

4. Step 2: Adding Kitchen Waste For More Organic Liquid Fertilizer

Now that your bucket system is ready, it’s time to add the kitchen waste. Follow these steps:

Start with a Base Layer:
Begin by placing a layer of small twigs, dry leaves, or pieces of paper at the bottom of the top bucket. This will promote airflow and ensure proper drainage of the liquid.

Add Kitchen Waste:
Now, you can place kitchen scraps such as vegetable and fruit peels, eggshells, leftover chapati, and coffee grounds into the top bucket. If you feel big peels, cut them into smaller pieces to speed up decomposition. These kitchen waste are perfect for creating nutrient-rich liquid fertilizers and compost.

What to Avoid:
You have to be careful about something. Do not add meat, dairy, oily, or processed foods. These can attract pests and slow down the composting process.

Cover the Waste:
After adding the waste, cover the bucket with a lid or cloth. This will help retain moisture and control odors.

Keep Adding Waste For More Organic Liquid Fertilizer:
Continue adding kitchen waste to the liquid fertilizer machine daily. As the material decomposes, more space will become available for additional waste.

Test and Adjust:
If you notice a strong odor, add more dry materials like paper or dry leaves. These will absorb excess moisture and help control the bad smell; actually, it is optional.

• Image Details:
  • Image Name: layering-kitchen-waste.jpg
  • Alt Text: "Layering kitchen waste in a bucket"
  • Caption: "Layering kitchen waste to start the composting process."
  • Image Description: An overhead view of someone adding kitchen scraps into the bucket, with layers of green and brown waste clearly visible.

5. Step 3: Collecting and Using Organic Liquid Fertilizer

From my own experience, when your kitchen waste properly decomposes in the bucket, the nutrient-rich liquid fertilizer in the bucket below will also begin to accumulate. This liquid is often called "compost tea" or "liquid gold" because the nutrients in it can rejuvenate your plants.

Collecting Organic Liquid Fertilizer:

In about one to two weeks, your bottom bucket will begin to collect liquid fertilizer for the first time. When I collected this liquid for the first time, I found that, when applied correctly, the plants produced really good results. You can easily store this liquid fertilizer in a bottle by opening the tap on the bottom of the bucket.

However, if the weather in your area is hot or you add a lot of kitchen waste, the compost can accumulate quickly, and you can collect more compost. In my experience, I collected this liquid fertilizer about every three days during summer. But during winter, the composting process slows down, so it has to be collected every one to two weeks.

Tips: What to do if the fertilizer is too thick? If the liquid is thick, thin it with 1 part fertilizer and 10 parts water. Two days after I applied the direct concentrated liquid fertilizer to the base of the plant for the first time, I noticed that my plant's leaves were burnt. Now, after following this rule, there is no more problem.

Time to use Organic Liquid Fertilizer:

Apply this liquid fertilizer as water at the base of the plant once every two weeks. If your plants are in a state of heavy flowering or fruiting, applying it once per week will give good results. In my experience, fruit trees do best with this fertilizer.

Tests and Results After Use of Organic Liquid Fertilizer:

After using this liquid fertilizer in my garden, I have seen a great change in the plants. The leaves are greener, the flowers are bigger, and the quality of the fruit has also increased. After using this fertilizer, the pepper plants in my garden are much bigger than before. Now, I regularly use this fertilizer on every plant in my garden.

After using liquid fertilizers, the quality of the soil is also much better than before. Now, the nutrients from the manure are absorbed into the soil and nourish my plants for a long time, and the microbial activity of the soil is much better than before.

• Image Details:
  • Image Name: collecting-liquid-fertilizer.jpg
  • Alt Text: "Collecting liquid fertilizer from a bucket"
  • Caption: "Collect and dilute your homemade liquid fertilizer before using it on your plants."
  • Image Description: A photo showing the liquid being drained from the bottom bucket into a smaller container, ready for use.

6. Step 4: Turning Kitchen Waste into Compost

In my experience, there are a few steps to follow to properly compost kitchen waste. Just putting the waste in your composting bucket isn't the end of the job. The top composting bucket should be removed when it is completely full and replaced with a new bucket. The new bucket must have the same hole in the bottom as the previous bucket. The bucket filled here will, with time and care, become quality compost for your plants.

When the bucket is full and what to do:

It's easy to tell when your composting bucket is full. The waste will begin to overflow near the mouth of the bucket, and there will be no room for new waste. A second composting bucket should be kept ready at this time.

When the first bucket is full, leave it to compost and start putting the waste in the new second bucket. This method of two-bucket composting will allow the waste to decompose continuously because when one bucket is full, the other can be started.

Where to keep the compost bucket:

Place the composting bucket in an area out of direct sunlight. Too much heat or sunlight can slow down the composting process. The mouth of the bucket must be covered. I usually keep the buckets in a shady spot to maintain moisture inside the buckets.

When do you think compost is ready? It takes 4-6 weeks for the compost to be completely ready. You will notice that the compost is ready when all the waste on the top layer of the bucket becomes black, smooth, and granular-like soil.

My tips: If the waste still looks a little raw or wet, give it a little more time.

Extraction of Compost Manure: When the compost seems ready, you can take the mixture out of the bucket. Be careful not to leave the compost too wet when removing it from the bucket. As I have personally seen, overly wet compost is not very effective for plants. If your compost is wet, let it dry out in the sun for a while. However, only keep it in the sun for a short time, as excessive sun drying can destroy its nutrients.

Uses of Compost:

After drying, this compost fertilizer you can be spread directly at the base of the plant or mixed with the soil. Compost fertilizer helps you improve soil quality and provides nutrients to your plants. I have noticed that this compost is very beneficial, especially for vegetables or fruit trees. I store this compost, and you should too, as it can be stored for a long time.

Tips and Tests: The first time I used compost, I saw a rapid change in the foliage and soil. The ground became looser, and the trees greener.

Special situation:

Compost can be very wet during monsoons, so during this time cover the bucket and add some dry material like paper, dry bark, or dry leaves. Compost will take a little longer to build up during the winter, but that's normal.

Some Additional Tips:

Waste Addition: Keep adding as much raw kitchen waste (e.g., vegetable and fruit peels) as possible. However, avoid meat, dairy products, and oily foods, as these slow the decomposition process and can attract insects.
Bucket Placement: If you're short on space, use small buckets placed next to the tub. Even if kept under a tree, it can still make compost effectively.

• Image Details:
  • Image Name: composting-kitchen-waste.jpg
  • Alt Text: "Composting kitchen waste in a bucket"
  • Caption: "After liquid fertilizer extraction, turn the remaining waste into rich compost."
  • Image Description: An image of the bucket with decomposing kitchen waste, showing the different stages of composting.

7. Conclusion: Sustainable Gardening Made Simple

Creating a beautiful and sustainable garden is actually very easy. How easily organic liquid fertilizer and compost can be made from everyday kitchen waste. At first, I also thought that it would not be easy at all, but after starting the process, I realized that it is actually quite simple and simple.

You can make your garden soil more nutritious by making use of everyday waste. It is good for the plants as well as the environment.

It will be a big boon to your garden—less expensive, less work. And the best part is, once it's started, you can regularly recycle waste and feed the plants year-round. In my experience, just as fruit and flower plants respond quickly to organic liquid fertilizer, compost profoundly improves soil quality.

So, why delay? Put your waste to good use today and start a new way to express your love for plants!

• Image Details:
  • Image Name: sustainable-gardening.jpg
  • Alt Text: "A thriving garden thanks to DIY fertilizer and compost"
  • Caption: "Sustainable gardening is easy with homemade organic fertilizers and compost."
  • Image Description: A vibrant garden scene showing lush plants and flowers, showcasing the results of using homemade fertilizer and compost.