Nitrogens Everywhere and Not a Carbon in Sight! We typically typically tell people how to compost using the example of leaves for carbon (browns) and grass clippings for nitrogen (greens). This is an accurate, easy-to-understand example for most homeowners to follow because leaves and grass clippings are common garden waste. In real life, however, an abundance of…
What You Can and Can’t Compost All appropriate compost ingredients are organic. Organic refers to matter that is a part of, or comes from, something that is (or was) alive. In other words, organic refers to plants, animals and their naturally-occurring by-products. Compost Only Organic Materials Nature has a cycle for animals and plants. When they die, they decay. Their decaying forms…
Calculation of Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio (C:N) This guide is for those of you out there that want to calculate the Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio, this is a simplified version. We have a more simplified version in our creating a compost heap guide. Organic matter is not solely carbon or solely nitrogen. All live organic…
Trench Composting – How To – Complete Guide Trench Composting is method used by individuals who have gardens arranged in rows. If your garden is arranged some other way (1 x 1 foot squares, etc.) you may adapt this system to something that makes sense for your arrangement. Because this method is usually used in…
Building a Compost Heap, Step by Step So you want to make your own compost, that’s great. There are two types of compost heaps that you can create: “Slow” or “Cold” Compost Heap “Hot” Compost Heap What’s the difference? Well, a cold compost heap will take around 1 to 2 years to make compost, whereas…
How To Use A Compost Thermometer Compost thermometers are not required in order to have a successful hot compost heap, but they are very helpful if you are experimenting with ways to increase the heat of your heap. If you build two piles that are exactly the same except that one has activator and one…
What is Compost and Composting? Compost The wonderful smell of a forest floor is the smell of humus, or completely rotted plants and animals. Decomposed organic matter is compost. The original organic matter is no longer visible and you have rich, black, sweet-smelling, crumbly, soil-like substance. In a deciduous forest, for example, leaves drop to the…
Vermicompost – Your Guide to Vermicomposting / Worm Composting If you’re thinking of getting into worm composting, you’ve probably got a pile of questions, maybe even a little trepidation. Worm composting may seem like a strange concept, but it’s really just another form of composting. The worms are actually doing the work of breaking down…
