How to Start Composting in Your Backyard: A Beginner's Guide

11-21-24

This is what I have so far.

"browns": dead flower stems, brown packing paper, leaves, paper towels

"greens": veggie scraps, egg shells, coffee grounds, tea bags

Blood meal: nitrogen supplement that can help balance the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio in compost. It can also help activate compost and speed up the composting process.

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Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant and food waste, recycling organic materials, and manure. Wikipedia

https://www.epicgardening.com/composting-for-beginners/

https://ecocycle.org/eco-living/composting-101/how-to-compost-in-your-backyard/

"Greens" and "Browns" - what are they?

Greens to browns (simple measurement): 1:1 (half greens, half browns) or 1:2 (1/3 greens to 2/3 browns) by volume. 

Watch out for these signs your compost needs more nitrogen:

• It doesn’t heat up.

• It takes a loooong time to break down waste.

And keep an eye open for these desperate calls for more carbon:

• Compost that’s too hot.

• Smelly compost.

Greens – Nitrogen rich materials, rapidly decomposing

• Fruit, vegetable scraps

• Raw table scraps

• Grass clippings – spread in layers to prevent bulking

• Scraps for home composting

• Flower cuttings & garden plants

• Young green weeds – as long as they have not gone to seed

• Chicken manure – speeds up the process

• Green hay – spread in layers

• Crushed eggshells

• Vacuum cleaner dust

• Tea leaves or bags

• Coffee grounds

Browns – Carbon-rich materials, slow to decompose

• Newspaper for home composting

• Cardboard– cut up

• Newspaper and paper – avoid glossy paper

• Leaves

• Sawdust – spread in layers to prevent bulking

• Wood shavings

• Woody prunings – cut up small to

• Hedge clippings

• Fallen leaves

• Pine needles – acidic, use sparingly

• Clean wood ash – sprinkle lightly, it is alkaline so can help adjust the pH

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