Helpful Tips and Tricks to Composting

Here is a list of materials to compost:

Materials to Compost
Browns = High Carbon	Greens = High Nitrogen
Ashes, wood Bark Cardboard, shredded Corn stalks Fruit waste Leaves Newspaper, shredded Peanut shells Peat moss Pine needles Sawdust Stems and twigs, shredded Straw Vegetable stalks	Alfalfa Algae Clover Coffee grounds Food waste Garden waste Grass clippings Hay Hedge clippings Hops, used Manures Seaweed Vegetable scraps Weeds*
*Avoid weeds that have gone to seed, as seeds may survive all but the hottest compost piles.

Here is a list of what NOT to compost:

Coal Ash, Colored Paper, Diseased Plants, Inorganic Materials, Meat, Bones, Fish, Fats, Dairy, Pet Droppings, Synthetic Chemicals 

How to speed up the process of your compost pile:

Compost decomposes fastest between 120 and 160˚F, so anything that will increase the heat will “cook” your compost faster. Here are five tips for fast composting:

1.) Chop and shred larger items, which makes it easier for the bacteria to break them down. For example, one easy way is to slice and dice garden waste is to run your lawn mower over leaves and other garden waste. Take scissors to newsprint or cardboard.

2.) Turn, turn, turn. Keep turning your pile whenever you add materials to your pile. It helps add oxygen throughout the pile and it keeps materials from clumping together. 

3.) Give your compost heap a “big meal” versus small snacks. Collect all your organic waste over a couple of days and then add it in one big bunch. The more you add at one time, the more your compost will heat up.

4.) Keep your compost pile in the sun. The heat will speed up the process.

5. A compost activator contributes either high nitrogen, microorganisms, or both, and provides a quick boost to the decomposition process. Consider throwing some algae, seaweed or lake weed into the pile. Just be sure to rinse off any salt water before adding. You can also “jump start” your compost by adding alfalfa meal, cottonseed meal, blood meal or compost starter.

How to Start Composting

Composting has many uses and people create them for different reasons. For one, it helps reduce the amount of landfill that is sent out with the rest of our garbage. Others use it for fertilizer in their gardens because they help plants grow strong and healthy by enriching the soil they grow in. By using compost as a fertilizer, we can reduce the use of chemical fertilizers. 

You will want to start your compost pile on bare earth, so that worms and other organisms can reach it. Before you lay out your compost materials, a layer of straw or twigs that is a few inches deep should be laid down first to help drain your pile. Then, you should lay your compost materials in layers of moist materials(food scraps, tea bags, coffee grinds, seaweed) and dry materials (straw, leaves, sawdust, and even wood ashes). Materials that tend to clump together, like ash and sawdust, should be in thinner layers. If you mow your lawn, you can even add your grass clippings, or any green “manure” (clover, buckwheat, wheatgrass, any nitrogen source). These will activate your compost pile. If it rains in your area, you won’t have to keep your pile moist, but if you live in a dry area, you should add some water to your pile, even if its used water. However, the compost pile shouldn’t get too wet, so you might have to cover it. A tarp would even work. Once you have a compost pile started, every few weeks you should turn and mix your pile to work in oxygen and other compost materials. 

A good compost pile should have more carbon materials than nitrogen materials. Carbon materials include branches, dried leaves, peels, wood, bark dust, brown paper bags, corn stalks, coffee filters, egg shells, straw, and many more. Nitrogen materials include manures, food scraps, green lawn clippings and green leaves. A good mix includes about one part green materials (nitrogen) and two parts brown materials (carbon). Having more carbon is better than having more nitrogen, however this is a wonderful spot to use both. 

Happy Composting!

For More Information Visit:
http://eartheasy.com/grow_compost.html