composting

 What goes in:

• fruit & vegetable scraps
• coffee grounds & tea bags
• bread & grains, egg shells
• nutshells
• corncobs
• green plants
• food-soiled paper towels & napkins
• shredded newspaper
• manure & bedding from herbivores ONLY (no cats)
  
• garden trimmings
• fresh leaves & flowers
• grass clippings 
• fall leaves, twigs & woody prunings
• dry plant material
• straw & hay
• pine needles
• potting soil 

CHOP  YOUR KITCHEN SCRAPS FOR FASTER COMPOSTING

If you're accumulating kitchen scraps for a few days in a container or bag, adding shredded paper will keep it from smelling! 

What does NOT go in

• meat or fish scraps
• cheese or dairy products
• fats, grease, or oil
• cat or dog feces; kitty litter
• colored or glossy paper
• sawdust made from pressure-treated plywood or lumber
• coal or charcoal ashes
• plastic, metals, or glass pesticide-treated plants or pesticide-treated grass clippings
• diseased or pest-infested plants
• poison ivy
• invasive weeds
  

The nitty gritty

All organic materials contain carbon and nitrogen in varying proportions. To create ideal conditions for composting, add and mix equal parts (by volume) of "green" high-nitrogen materials and "brown" high-carbon materials. This blend will provide the bacteria and other decomposer organisms the proper proportions of carbon and nitrogen.
GREENS are fresh, moist, nitrogen-rich plant materials that still have some life in them (fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, fresh leaves, yard prunings, etc.).
BROWNS are dry, carbon-rich plant materials with no life in them (fall leaves, shredded paper, straw, wood chips, twigs, etc.).
Remember, you want to keep a balance between the materials in the "greens" list and the "browns" list. Without enough greens, a pile will decompose very slowly, and without enough browns the pile may smell bad. In general, it's better to err on the side of too many browns, so you should stockpile dry, carbon-rich material, such as fall leaves or shredded newspaper, to add to your bin throughout the year.

---

yes, it's full of worms

. . . but don't be afraid, it's supposed to be. The worms appear on the top of the compost when the it's too hot for them or there's not enough oxygen. The composter makes great fertilizer for adding to the garden beds and containers.

Ours is a little warped, so you have to push the lid down firmly before twisting it into locked position for tumbling (you do not want the top coming off when it's upside down.)  

 composter manual