How to Compost
Four essential ingredients for good composting:
- Nitrogen
- Carbon
- Water
- Oxygen
Anything that was once a living plant can be composted. To make your compost work well you need a balance of nitrogen and carbon rich materials. All plant material contains nitrogen and carbon, but the nitrogen to carbon ratio varies. Green materials such as grass clippings are high in nitrogen, whereas brown materials such as leaves are high in carbon. If you use equal amounts of green and brown materials, i.e. one bucket of grass clippings and one bucket of leaves, you should obtain a good balance. The materials can be layered or mixed together. Mixing will start the compost working more quickly.
Nitrogen-rich materials:
- Fresh grass clippings
- Manure
- Kitchen scraps
- Plant trimmings
Carbon-rich materials
- Dry leaves
- Sawdust
- Straw and hay
- Newspaper
Balancing the supply of water and oxygen is essential for good composting. Decomposers need moisture for them to work effectively. If the pile is too dry, nothing will happen and if the pile is too wet, it will smell. The pile should be as moist as a wrung-out sponge. Even with the right amount of moisture the pile tends to pack down and squeeze out the oxygen. To counter this problem the pile should be aerated about once a week. Use a compost turner, poke holes with a crowbar or broom handle or turn the pile with a garden fork. A lid can be helpful for retaining or repelling water.