Compost Recipe
Layer equal amounts of "brown" waste (shredded leaves, straw, uncolored paper products (shredded newspaper is OK), "green" waste (grass clippings, leaves, and fruit and vegetable scraps, topsoil (to provide organisms needed for decomposition).
Include:
- Flowers
- Old plants
- Egg shells
- Old potting soil
- Twigs
- Annual weeds
- Coffee grounds/filters
- Tea bags
Do not include:
- Diseased plants
- Weeds with seeds
- Dog and cat feces
- Meat or fish parts
- Dairy items
- Oily foods.
Add water and air (keep the pile moist like a damp sponge, not wet; compost bins should have slats for air circulation).
Mix occasionally by turning the pile with a pitchfork, shovel or aerating tool to speed the decomposition process.
This creates a dark and crumbly humus, with no resemblance to the original components. The entire process takes 3 to 18 months. (If the compost begins to have an unpleasant odor, it's because it's too wet or hasn't been mixed often enough - to allow air to mix with it.).