Why Compost? An Analysis of Composting As an Environmental Remediation Technology – US EPA – 1998 EPA530-R

What can you compost? food scraps yard clippings weeds (think about seeds) paper woody organic material (best chopped up) coffee grounds

The greens and browns of compost… Greens! Urine (diluted with water 20:1) Comfrey leaves Nettles Grass cuttings Other green materials Raw vegetable peelings from your kitchen Tea bags and leaves, coffee grounds Young green weed growth – avoid weeds with seeds Animal manure from herbivores eg cows and horses Poultry manure and bedding Browns! Cardboard eg. cereal packets and egg boxes Waste paper and junk mail, including shredded confidential waste Cardboard tubes Newspaper – Bedding from vegetarian pets eg rabbits, guinea pigs – hay, straw, shredded paper, wood shavings Tough hedge clippings Old bedding plants Bracken Sawdust Wood shavings Fallen leaves

The C’s and N’s of compost…. Rynk, R., M et al On-Farm Composting Handbook. R. Rynk (Ed.). NRAES-54. Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service. Ithaca, NY. Aim for a compost that has a C:N ratio of 30:1…

a note about moisture

Build it big – for the bacteria…!