Quick and Dirty Composting

Here is a quick and dirty guide to composting. Basically, its just notes i took down from  Mike McGrath's Book of Compost.

Compost is useful in the garden because :
             -It can be used as a totally safe organic fertilizer.
             -It helps prevent weeds when used as mulch.
             -It prevents/ reduces the incedence of plant disease.

Steps to making good compost:

           1. Collect "fall" or dried, fallen leaves with a leafblower(in reverse, used as a leaf sucker) 
               or rake.
           2. If the leaves arent completely dry, you can let them dry out in a vented container 
               before mixing them with the other compost materials.
           3. Collect "wet green" (grass clippings) and kitchen scraps and store in a separate
               container.
           4. Combine 4 parts brown, dry material with 1 part "wet green" material and toss it into
               the compost bin/tumbler.
           5. If you can shred the materials into smaller pieces, it will help the compost break
              down faster, as will turning the compost occasionally. Depending on the size and 
              amount of your materials, the breakdown can be completed in as little as 8-10
              weeks.

How it works:
           - The dry brown materials in the compost provide necessary carbon and microbes that   
              start the breakdown process.
           - The "wet green" (lawn clippings and kitchen scraps) provide nitrogen that the microbes
              feed on.
           -The combination of the dry brown and wet green generates heat.

Things that you can add to your compost:

            All vegetable scraps                                            Shrimp shells
            tea bags                                                                crab
            coffee grounds                                                     lobster
            wood/vegetable ash                                            weeds that haven’t gone to seed
            paper items(tissues/cardboard)                        herbivore wastes (animals that never eat
            cotton balls                                                           meat-rabbits, chickens, horses, etc)
            stale bread and other non-meat foods              vacuum cleaner bag contents as long as it
            hair and nail clippings                                         contains no plastic or metals
            eggshells
          

Things to KEEP OUT of your compost:

           most animal materials(cheese, dairy, bones, meat or fat)
           ashes from barbecue grills/coal fires
           dog and cat poop