Follow the
Basic 1-2-3
Composting is as easy as “1-2-3,” thanks to the friendly
bugs and worms that do the composting work for you!
1. Chop materials if you want them to
break down more quickly. |
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2. Mix Browns & Greens (dry, woody
materials with moist, green materials). |
3. Maintain Air & Water Balance
by keeping compost as moist as a wrung-out sponge. |
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Browns, Greens,
Air and Water are the “Big
Four” that will keep every compost pile healthy.
Do Compost |
Don’t Compost |
| Browns
- Fallen leaves
- Chopped woody prunings
- Sawdust from untreated wood
- Black & white newspaper
Greens
- Fruit & vegetable trimmings
- Lawn clippings
- Coffee grounds & filters
- Egg shells
- Citrus rinds
- Tea bags
- Barnyard manure
|
- Meat, bones or fish
- Dairy products or grease
- Grains, beans or breads
- Dog, cat or bird feces
- Sawdust from plywood or treated wood
- Diseased plants (in cold piles)
|
Hot Compost Happens when you follow the basic
“1-2-3” carefully, the pile is about a cubic yard
(3ft x 3ft x 3ft), and you use the “Batch Composting”
recipe. Heat can accelerate composting and kill weed seeds and
plant diseases, but is not necessary. Cold, slower piles are just
as good. If your pile is not heating up and it is large enough,
moist and well chopped, you can turn it and mix in some greens
like grass clippings or an organic nitrogen fertilizer. For faster
hot composting and better weed-seed kill, turn or mix your hot
pile once a week or more. Choose a System
| Follow the Basic 1-2-3 | Composting
Troubleshooting |
