Compost

Compost

Compost decomposed organic material such as yard waste and food scraps that is an important part of a healthy soil. Composts helps to hold nutrient and water, stabilize temperatures and pH to grow healthy plants.

Basic Ingredients

  • Browns – This includes materials such as dead leaves, branches, and twigs.
  • Greens – This includes materials such as grass clippings, vegetable waste, fruit scraps, and coffee grounds.
  • Water – Having the right amount of water, greens, and browns is important for compost development.
Why Should I do It?

Yard waste and food scraps make up about 20-30% of what gets thrown away. Composting not only helps us reduce what heads to the landfill it also can be returned to our yards for healthier gardens, lawns, and flowerbeds.

Composting At Home

Whether you purchase a bin or just make a pile, make sure you have near equal amounts of “browns” and “greens”.   Pick a location that is dry and close to a water source. A great time to start a compost pile is in the fall when you have plenty of leaves (browns) to mix with yard waste and food scraps (greens). Your pile should start to heat up fast and will need to be turned periodically to aerate. Check out www.homecompostingmadeeasy.com for more tips from Professor Rot including a troubleshooting guide.

Indoor Composting

You can compost indoors! Vermicomposting (small bins with worms) are a great alternative to small scale composting indoors that is much quicker than larger outdoor piles. Once again check out Professor Rots info on getting started at http://www.homecompostingmadeeasy.com/wormcomposting.html