Composting 101

COMPOSTING 101 KNOW BEFORE YOU THROW! 20% Composting can reduce household of all U.S. landfill waste is food 30% waste by Can reduce soil fertilization costs by 50% WHY SHOULD I COMPOST? 3x That's rougly the equivalent of $165 billion of wasted food every year in the US. Each bill joined end to end would criss-cross the US, from NY to LA, 5700 times. A small American city of 100k people creates enough waste in one year to equal the weight of x5700 three Statues of Liberty. Compost naturally - and inexpensively - feeds plants a wide range of necessary macronutrients and micronutrients. Composting increases the volume of water by 3 quarts per cubic foot of Fe Mo soil. That P Mg Mn means less frequent watering! K Zn Composting dramatically lightens the soil by providing a habitat for worms where they can feed on decaying plant matter and aerate the soil with their tunneling. BUILDING A BASIC PILE Composting is simple! Use the GREEN vs. BROWN chart below to approximate material ratios. Then mix the pile every week to aerate it, watering when the mixture is overly dry. Depending upon the season, expect to have your first usable compost in around three to four months. good ideas Compost Wizard Dueling Tumbler COMMON BROWNS COMMON GREENS Dry Leaves Grass Clippings 70:1 17:1 Shredded Rotten Fruits Paper & Veggies 175:1 30:1 Evergreen Needles Manures 80:1 20:1 Coffee Grounds Wheat Straw 90:1 25:1 Wood Chips Garden Waste 500:1 30:1 Breads & Grains Nut Shells 80:1 17:1 HOW TO LEARN MORE We've barely scratched the surface on composting! Of course, there is much more to learn if you'd like to develop this valuable gardening skill. The best expert resources available would be your local Agricultural Extension Agents. Visit https://ask.extension.org to connect with this free resource. SOURCES Brought to you by: http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/msw99.htm http://blogs.usda.gov/2013/09/12/usda-is-composting-you-can-too/ http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/topic/composting/backyard/ http://cwmi.css.cornell.edu/compostbrochure.pdf Do Myown estControl .com http://web.extension.illinois.edu/homecompost/intro.cfm