Composting

          Easy Compost Recipe

          • Find a well-draining spot out of direct sunlight. Whether or not you use a compost bin is optional.
          • Start with a layer of "brown" material, like straw and leaves.
          • Add a layer of "green" material, like grass clippings.
          • Alternate layers of "brown" and "green" materials as they are available.
          • Turn the mixture every three to five days. You may turn it less frequently or not at all, but the compost will take longer to "cook".
          • Water regularly, making sure to keep the pile fairly moist.
          • If possible, keep the pile about 3'x 3'x 3'. Smaller piles will still work, but more slowly.
          • If you have a thermometer available, you can test the temperature of the pile. When it begins to cool, it is time to turn and water the pile.
          • Do not forget to add animal manure, if at all possible. In order of most to least beneficial, choose rabbit, chicken, sheep, horse, steer, cattle, duck and pig.
          Do not add meat, fish, bones, dairy foods or oils; pet feces or used kitty litter; sawdust or chips from painted, treated or pressurized wood; weeds that have gone to seed or spread by runners; diseased or insect-infested plants.

          Composting Links
          • City Farmer: Canada's Office of Urban Agriculture, Urban Agriculture Notes
          • The Compost Resource Page
          • Composting for Home Gardens
          • Environmental Defense Fund Worldwide Join for free.
          • Don't Bag It Leaf Management
          • Composting at Home in Iowa City
          • GREEN Composting
          • Backyard Magic--The Composting Handbook
          • The Compost Recipe
          • Compost Quiz Game
          • Nicholas Park's Homepage--composting plan
          • Resource-Efficient Yard Care & Composting
          • Making Compost Happen

          Vermi (Worm) Composting Links

          • Composter's Forum-Vermi Composting
          • Worm Composting
          • Composting With Red Wiggler Worms

          Master Composters

          Links

          • Rot Web Home Composting Information Site

          shovel in leaf pile Recycle Globe Blooming Flower Book and Globe Bear with Globe
          Home Composting Recycling Gardening Books For Kids Awards Conservation

          Question, comments or suggestions? EMail