Composting

At last! Put the natural process of decay to work for you.
Get the best soil enhancer nature has to offer ... and help reduce landfill waste in the process.

1 Pick a Composting Bin

You can roll your own or buy a prefabricated unit. Just about anything that holds the compost pile together and provides plenty of air circulation will work. In fact, you can compost without a bin or pot, but a free-standing pile takes more space.

Be sure that you choose a design - and a location - that will allow you to easily turn over the compost.

To conserve moisture, place your bin in a fairly shady spot. To prevent root growth into the bin, don't place it directly under a tree.

One simple bin can be made by driving stakes or pipes in the ground and wrapping wire mesh around it.
Wooden skids can be wired together to form a three- or four-sided box.
Commercial bins are available in a variety of shapes, sizes and prices. Most are made of plastic and have lids.

2 Add the Raw Materials

Line the bottom of the bin with a layer of dry brown materials (see list at right). Sprinkle a little water on it. Next add a layer of greens. Continue alternating layers of browns and greens until the heap is about 2 - 3 feet high.

Try to keep a ratio of about one-third greens to two-thirds browns: the best for "cooking" your pile. Make each layer no more than about 3 inches thick.

Wet the pile until it is about as damp as a wrung-out sponge. If you squeeze a handful and get more than a few drops of water, it's too wet - add more dry leaves and brown material. Too dry slows the composting process. Too wet causes the pile to smell.

When things are just right, microorganisms will heat the center of the pile to more than 140 degrees.

Use two types of ingredients:

Greens: (1/3 of volume); Fresh grass clippings; Green leaves; Fruit and vegetable scraps; Coffee grounds, tea bags; Egg shells; Bread
Browns: (2/3 of volume); Woody materials; Yard trimmings; Dried leaves; Ground-up branches; Bark straw, hay; Sawdust; Shredded paper

Don't use these!

Meat, fish, poultry, bones
Dairy products, oil grease & lard
Cooked or dressed fruit & veggies
Dishwater
Fresh weeds with mature seeds
Dog and cat manure
Ashes or charcoal

3 Turn, Turn, Turn

Compost needs air to breathe. Add air by fluffing up your pile once or twice a week with a pitchfork, shovel or a stick. More frequent turning will increase the speed of the composting process. Frequent turning also eliminates odors.

4 Harvest Time

The "cooking time" for compost depends on having the right amount of air, moisture and ingredients. The compost will be ready in one to 10 months.

Finished compost is dark brown and crumbly and most of the big pieces have decomposed. Fresh compost is clean smelling.

Compost Troubleshooting Chart

Symptom                    Problem           Solution
Compost has a bad odor	   Not enough air;   Turn pile; add course
                           pile too wet      dry materials
Compost is warm and damp   Compost pile is   Add more brown 
in middle only            too small          materials and mix in
Center of the pile is dry  Not enough water  Add more material to
                                             pile; mix and add water
Pile is damp & sweet       Lack of nitrogen  Mix in a nitrogen source:
smelling but still                           fresh grass clippings,
won't heat up                                manure, blood-meal or
                                             ammonium sulphate
Flies buzz around the      Wrong ingredients Avoid materials listed
iple and animals forage                      above; cover fruit and
through it at night                          vegetable scraps with
                                             dried woody material