A recipe for good compost


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	Main Page › Education & Reference › Environmental Science

	A recipe for good compost

Composting is a means of using natural decomposing processes to turn kitchen and yard waste into a nutrient rich soil supplement for your yard or garden. It can be fun and rewarding to return organic matter to the land by creating soil. And, to top it off, composting helps your community to reduce the amount of "garbage" that needs to be processed by professional, and expensive, waste processors.

Look upon composting as a way of recycling organic matter. It stimulates natural cycles of decomposition and is an ecologically sensible way to use organic wastes. From the view of local governments, composting is a waste prevention strategy because the material never enters the waste stream. Whether trimmings from the bushes lining the house or scraps from the dinner plate, composting offers a convenient solution to particularly troublesome wastes.

If you have some yard space, about three square feet, and a little time, you can compost. Composting can be practiced using a home made or manufactured bin, or an open pile. Here are a four key recipe tips to make sure your compost ends up being a winner.

1. Green-brown mix: Wet or "green" materials such as fresh grass clippings and food wastes tend to be high in nitrogen. Dry or "brown" materials such as leaves and dried yard waste are high in carbon. Both of these materials are needed, in approximately an equal mix. Remember, these materials should be crumbled, shredded or chopped to be less than 12 inches in length to achieve good compost. Avoid putting meat and dairy products into the pile.

2. Moisture content: The compost pile should be kept damp, but not soggy. It should receive an occasional watering both on top and inside and be kept "moist as a wrung out sponge."

3. Air: The bacteria and fungus that help decompose the green and brown waste need air to survive. Therefore, compost piles should be turned once every week to two weeks. If you do not turn your pile regularly it will lack oxygen, become anaerobic, and begin to emit odors that are, generally speaking, not associated with fine cooking.

4. Size: The ideal size for a home composting pile is three square feet. This size allows the pile to heat up, killing weed seeds and speeding up the decomposition process. Hot compost piles can produce compost in less than a month while cool compost piles can take more than two months.

How will you know when the compost is done? Finished compost is uniform dark brown material that has an earthy aroma. Once the material in your compost bin has reached this state, the few larger chunks of wood or other material that remain can be added to a new pile to begin the decomposition process again.

These backyard composting principles can also be applied at apartments and businesses. However, because space is frequently a problem, you can compost using a smaller pile or you can compost using a worm bin.

Author: Lee Young

Author Bio:

Maybe you don't have time to thumb through the quarterly catalog, which could be a great read with your morning coffee. If not, try CALMAX On-Line . Want to put a free ad in the CALMAX catalog, get on the mailing list or learn more? Call the California Integrated Waste Management Board at (916) 341-6603 or write the board at 1001 I Street, PO Box 4025, Sacramento, CA 95812-4025.