By Olivia Bergeron

It’s a wonderful time to try composting for the first time or to reinvigorate your old pile. Composting turns your trash into a free soil amendment for your garden. Composting is just organic material breaking down in a moist, aerated environment, and it may be easier than you think!

Greens

• Living plant material is rich in nitrogen and breaks down very quickly. Greens include fresh grass clippings, fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and manure.

Browns

• Browns are sources of carbon. These break down very slowly without the addition of nitrogen. Browns include cardboard, dead leaves, paper, corn cobs, sawdust, and peanut shells.

Start a pile by layering two parts browns with one part greens in layers for maximum contact between the two. Thoroughly water the pile, and leave it to sit for about four days. When you turn the pile, try to spread the center materials over the outer layers. In the first two weeks, turning every other day encourages materials to start breaking down faster. Water the pile after turning to keep it from drying out. Once your pile is more established, turn and water once or twice a week.

The perfect ratio of carbon to nitrogen is hotly debated among compost enthusiasts. I personally tend to use a 2:1 ratio of browns to greens in our dry climate. The greens I add hold more moisture than the dry leaves I use for browns. When I throw one handful of scraps in my pile, I add two handfuls of dead leaves or straw. If a pile has too many greens, it will get stinky and slimy. Add more browns and turn to aerate it. If a pile is not breaking down at all, it likely needs more greens or moisture.

Incorporate composting into your household habits for best results. If you find it annoying to take scraps outside often, keep a jar under the sink or a container in your freezer. Frozen scraps will not harm the microbial activity of your pile, and freezing will prevent smells. 

Composting 101 info sheet.pdf

FAQ

Do I need worms?

No! Worms can help to break down food scraps but are not needed for a happy compost pile. Some people use worms as a final step in the composting process to get worm castings. These tiny, nutrient rich pellets are fantastic addition to your garden, particularly for seedlings. If you want to add worms to your composting system, ensure that drainage holes are added to any container that may heat up in hot weather or when microbial activity heats up the compost pile. Avoid onions, citrus, and salty foods.

How much water do I need?

Water is often the most overlooked factor in compost piles I see in Cody. If your pile is bone dry, the microbes needed to break waste down efficiently can’t thrive. If you grab a handful of your compost, you should be able to squeeze a single drop of water out of it.