Composting Ingredients

Composting is nature’s way of recycling organic wastes into a beneficial soil amendment. Compost is a rich, dark, earthy smelling soil that is best used when it is turned into the ground. It provides nutrients for plants that are easy for the plant to assimilate. Sometimes chemical fertilizers may be too strong for the plant and this could damage plant growth. Compost makes healthy soil and in return you will have healthy plants that can naturally fight pests and diseases.

        When composting, we are just accelerating the natural decomposition of organic material. By controlling the environment of the compost pile you can determine how fast or slow you complete the compost process. There are four basic ingredients in the compost pile, nitrogen, carbon, water, and air.

• Nitrogen - Green materials such as grass clippings, fresh leaves and twigs, vegetable and fruit trimmings, coffee grounds and filters, and non meat eating animal manure's. Most any organic material that has moisture or ‘life’ still in it is considered a green material.

• Carbon - Brown materials that are have released their nitrogen are usually dry and brittle. Dry leaves and grasses, straw, wood chips, corn stalks, shredded newspaper, paper towels, napkins, and cardboard are all good carbon rich examples.

• Water - Adding water to the pile will balance the correct moisture level. The proper moisture should be about the same as a damp wrung out sponge. Few drops should fall when the material is squeezed in your hand.

• Air - Oxygen is very important to the organisms that are working in the pile to breakdown the organic material. Bacteria, fungi, microorganisms, and insects need oxygen to breathe and air space in which to move throughout the pile.