Composting

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1. Get the right balance of brown material and green material. Optimal balance is 30:1.

• Brown material (carbon)-leaves, eggshells, tea bags, paper/cardboard
• Green material (nitrogeneous)-vegetable peelings, grass clippings, coffee grounds

2. Mix and Turn the Compost More Often

• Turning your compost adds fresh oxygen, which helps it break down faster
  

3. Check the Moisture Level of your Compost

•  Your pile should be as moist as a wrung out wet sponge

4. Use the Berkeley Method of "Fast Composting"

• Claims to take only 14-21 days for compost to be ready
  

5. Shred Some of the Ingredients - Especially the Brown Material

• Finely shredding material will speed up the process

6. Use a Compost Tumbler

• Rotates your pile to speed up the process

7. Use Alfalfa Meal

• The secret ingredient provides nitrogen and protein

8. Have More than One Pile

• Adding to one pile will prolong the process

9. Start with a Worm Compost Bin

• This process can be done both indoors and outdoors

10. Grow your Own Fertilizer

• Grow a patch of Comfrey in your garden

Tips can be found at http://www.compost-info-guide.com/make_better_compost.htm

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What is Composting?

Compost is decomposed organic material. It is a natural process that is very simple. The composted material can be either plant material or animal matter. These natural materials leave a rich, sweet-smelling soil. This material is a must for good gardening. Composting is becoming a common practice among gardeners. It can be done either indoors or outdoors.

Why?

Compost is great for the garden because it improves the soil. The improvement of the soil will ultimately lead to better plants, flowers, and vegetables. Compost provides most of the important nutrients for healthy plant growth. Compost also releases the needed nutrients slowly over time, this leads to a slow and steady intake of the nutrients. It also improves the soil's ability to use the correct amounts of air and moisture to optimize plant growth.

Composting also has an environmental benefit, it reduces the amount of trash that is collected and put into our landfills. Obvisouly, the more we compost, the less we contribute to the cost of trash removal and the amount of materials in landfills.

How Compost Happens

This graph gives you a great overview of the process of composting. Click on the picture for more info.

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Composting Game

Play this fun online game to get a better idea of how to compost. It is important to balance your brown items with your green items. Click on the picture to play the game.

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Closed Bins

• Does not attract pests
• Have to add water
• Look is appealing
• Smaller amount of materials

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Rotating Closed Bins

• Easy to mix or turn
• Does not attract pests
• Have to add water
• Smaller amount of materials

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Open Bins

• Open bins easily collect rain water
• Easy to make
• Open bins are very convenient for adding materials
• Open bins attract pests