Compost is a living entity with myriad microorganisms that hasten the composting process. Composting has existed for centuries, and provides a thriving environment for beneficial bacteria, fungi and other microbes. In recent times, however, gardeners are advised to use compost starters or activators to speed up the beneficial microbial activity. A range of compost starters or activators is available commercially. Commercial compost starters claim their products are superior for containing billions of microorganisms specially cultured for composting plus numerous energy sources and ph balancers to assure composting success.

Organic Alternatives:
Avid gardeners however, beg to differ. They claim that a few shovels of garden soil is the best activator or starter that your compost needs. They dismiss these starters as another commercial gimmick to make you spend your money. They claim the same useful bacteria and fungi reside in your garden soil and are freely available in startling plenitude. Simply adding a few shovels of garden soil will garner you the best soil activator or compost starter; this soil is saturated with a complex range of bacteria and fungi.

Ecologically, the best compost starter is fresh stable manure. Procuring fresh manure may, however, prove troublesome. In the absence of fresh manure, other effective organic alternatives are blood meal, and surprisingly, finished compost itself. As gardeners proclaim, adding shovels of finished compost to the compost heap reintroduces friendly bacteria and fungi to the cooking compost heap, thereby completing an ecological cycle.

Commercial Activators:
Increasingly, garden suppliers are selling compost starters with high nitrogen content; sometimes inoculants of dehydrated bacteria also come under the banner of compost activators. However, though high nitrogen content may prove useful in heating up the compost, it has the disadvantage of nitrogen excess which may leach or escape as ammonia in the air. Again, deep doubts exist about the efficacy of adding more bacteria from a package. As the skeptics point out, all the bacteria you need are present in your soil or your finished compost.

Whether you opt for Commercial Activators or Natural Alternatives, another infallible route to introduce a range of friendly microorganisms is purchasing a bag of Worm Compost. All the above mentioned compost starters are fashioned to create a friendly environment for fungi and bacteria to flourish in your living compost heap.

Compost Tea
Compost tea is an organic way of enriching any garden. It is nothing but soaked or steeped compost in water. Compost tea can be added to the soil or can also be sprayed directly on the plants. Types and methods of compost tea There are...

Build a Compost Pile
A Compost Pile will aid easy composting of your garden and household waste. A Compost Pile is a collection of various organic materials that serves as a habitat for a variety of friendly microorganisms. A Compost Pile is natural composting at the...

Beehive Compost Bins
The Beehive Compost Bin is an attractive alternative to oversized eyesore plastic bins and to an untidy and unwieldy compost heap. The Beehive Compost Bin is so called because it actually resembles a real hive with bees. Based on the famous...