Collecting Material For Composting - The Key To A Quality Compost
by John Yazo
Collecting material for composting with a balanced ratio of carbon and nitrogen is the key to producing a quality, nutrient rich compost. A good variety is what increases the different types of organisms that make the decomposition process work and produce a nutrient rich compost.
The basic materials that are most commonly used to compost are leaves and grass clippings. Leaves being carbon rich material and grass clippings being the nitrogen rich material. Other common organic material that is common in the home are coffee grounds, tea grounds, egg shells, fruit scraps, vegetable scraps and paper products like cardboard or newspaper.
Some of the materials that should be avoided from putting in the compost pile are cat litter, meats, dog or human waste and glossy or colored paper.
There are additives on the market that are sold as starters for compost piles. Additives are not needed. These additives are supposed to add microorganisms, bacteria and fungi into the new compost pile to start the decomposition process. The best and free source of these same components is topsoil from your yard or finished compost that you already have. Sprinkling a thin layer of topsoil or compost between the carbon and nitrogen layers of a compost pile will do the same thing that these additives clam to do.
Without the proper carbon and nitrogen ratio and a variety of materials you will not achieve a quality nutrient rich compost.
Composting is a environmentally friendly way to supply nutrients to plants and to produce a healthy garden soil structure.
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