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You can build soil health in your own backyard while reducing your household's waste. While composting is a great tool for utilizing food waste, it is also great for improving soil health and reducing stormwater runoff. Compost is rich in nutrients, and applying compost to your garden and yard puts the nutrients right back into the soil. Compost increases the permeability and infiltration of heavy soils. In doing this, it decreases the amount of stormwater runoff that flows over the soil. It is a win-win.
Composting 101
Don't be scared - you don't need a PhD in soil science to do it, and it isn't as much work as you might think. To be set up for success, you need to know and follow these basic rules, and you need to get the right compost bin for you.
What You Should Compost - There are some things that you can't compost, but there are lots of things that you can compost! You will need both greens and browns. Greens provide moisture and nutrients, while browns add structure and absorb excess moisture.
Greens: Greens are your nitrogen, and tend to be moist and fragrant. Food scraps, grass clippings, coffee grounds, chicken manure, tea leaves, garden waste, and fresh leaves.
Browns: Browns are your carbon. Dry leaves, twigs, newspaper, shredded paper, cardboard, egg shells.
What You Shouldn't Compost - You shouldn't compost stuff with pathogens or invasive plants with seeds. Here is a full list of what you shouldn't compost:
- Dog poop, cat poop, and cat litter
- Invasive plants, diseased plants, or weeds that have gone to seed
- Glass, plastic, and anything that isn't biodegradable
Get the Right Ratio - The ideal ratio of what you put into your compost bin should be approximately 30% greens to 70% browns by volume. It may vary a bit depending on what exactly you put it in there, but it is the suggested ratio to strive for. Remember, you need MORE browns than greens!
Find the Right Location - Your compost bin can be in the sun or shade. If it is in the sun, it will break down faster due to heat from the sun - which is great - but it may also dry out during hot temperatures or low rainfall. If it is in the shade, it will still work just fine, but it may break down slower in the shade than if it was in the sun. Whether sun or shade, it is up to you and what your yard allows. Try to keep your compost bin in an open area several feet from your home or other structures to reduce rodents who like to make homes in tight spaces near a food source.
Watch Your Water - You may need to water your compost pile occasionally if it is bone dry. Your compost does NOT need to be soaking wet, but it shouldn't be dry. As a general rule of thumb, you want your compost pile to be as wet as a "wrung out sponge." Check on it during periods of high temps and low rainfall.
Close It Up - If you live in an urban or suburban area completely enclose your compost! We only reimburse completely enclosed compost bins through our Community Backyards program so that they don't become homes to pesky critters like rats that can throw off your compost's balance and spread disease. Hardware cloth is great for securing both large and small gaps in a compost bin.
Speed Up Decomposition by Turning It - Turning your compost is recommended to speed up the decomposition process and encourage airflow. We recommend turning it once per week. However, turning it is not required, but if you don't turn it, it will take longer to break down.
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