compost recipe

[align=left]Bored, and was reading this, and thought i would share it...never knowing how composting actually work's.. found it Interesting.[/align]

[align=left]* Three parts carbon-rich brown material (dry leaves, chipped brush, twigs, dry grass, and sawdust)[/align]

* Two parts high-nitrogen greens (including fresh grass clippings, garden trimmings, shrubbery trimmings, weeds and kitchen scraps)

* And a dash of healthy soil of a starter product (which contains live microbes to ensure thorough decomposition of organic materials.)

*Adequate moisture is also critical;your pile should be about as damp as a wrung-out spunge, and to speed up the rate of decomposition, chop or shred materials to increase its surface area.

Organic materials you CAN use:

From the Garden...
* Leaves (chopped - to speed up breakdown)
* Grass (not wet)
* Plants and weeds (without ripe seeds)
* Old potting soil
* Soft plant stems

From the Kitchen...
* Fruit scraps
* Vegetable trimmings
* Egg shells (crushed)
* Tea bags
* Coffee grounds with filters
* Shredded paper

Materials you CANNOT use:

* Meat, fish and bones
* Plastics
* Metals
* Fats and oils
* Dairy products
* Pet waste

Full of much needed nutrients and beneficial microorganisms, fresh compost retains moisture and air exceptionally well to improve soil structure and fertility. Compost can even have an antibiotic effect on some plants, protecting them from harmful bacteria.

To fully understand how composting works, its also important to consider who-or what is doing all the hard work. First, insects,slugs,worms and other creatures aerate the pile by crawling throught it. They feed on organic scraps and excrete material which aerobic bacteria then break down again on a chemical level. As bacteria feed, their numbers grow exponentially, thus speeding the decomposition process.

Its important to distinguish between these benefical, aerobic bacteria which work efficiently without emitting odors and their counterparts-undesirable, anaerobis bacteria. Anaerobi bacteria work slowly and produce malodorous, harmful chemicals. You can suppress the growth of anaerobic bacteria by turning the compost pile about once a week. Finally, fungi work on the materials that bacteria leave behind such as wood and paper. When they have exhausted their food sources, both fungi and bacteria form spores and will lie dormant until you bring them more to eat.(kinda like me)

As microbes begin to break down raw ingredients, the temperature at the center of the compost pile will range from 130 to 160 degress Fahrenheit. If you notice the pile is not heating up properly, odds are good it may be deficient in nitrogen. It's also possible that your compost pile is to small: a 5'x5'x5' pile is recommended for optimal heating without excessive compaction. When the center temperature has started to drop, it's time to move the center of the pile to the outside edge and bring the outside edges into the center.

For the most part, the size of you compost pile will dictate harvest time. During warmer weather, small to medium-sized piles should be read in four to six weeks. If you are not sure when your compost is ready to be used, take a close look. it should have a crumbly texture; also, you shouldn't be able to recognize any of the original material that went into the pile.

Fresh compost can be used almost anywhere-with one exception. Because compost may contain remnants of disease or harmful bacteria, don't use it for seedlings; instead, use sterile soil or a soilless growing medium.

well, boss says it's time to mow the yard.