ORGANIC COMPOSTING

#1. Adding natural uncooked fruit, vegetable and herb scraps to the compost is the best thing to add to your compost. We keep our compost in the freezer. We add all our scraps to a large spinach container and then empty it daily to our back yard compost bin. The freezer helps break everything down faster.

#2. Tea leaves add nitrogen to the mix.

#3. Grass clippings can be added in small amounts along with dead leaves. We leave most of the grass clipping on the lawn to keep our grass thriving. Add dead leaves and grass clippings in layers in your compost bin. You can also add head house plants.

Another item you can add to your compost is shredded news paper. Do not add paper with coloured ink. Torn small scraps of card board can be added too. Again, with no coloured ink.

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Items that should NOT be added to your organic compost:

• plastic of any kind
• meat
• dairy
• bones
• dryer lint
• hair & fur
• vacuum bags
• pet manure
• anything with paint
• diseased plants
• anything toxic

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What helps beak down the solid food pieces?

All compost piles need a healthy ratio of carbon and nitrogen, 25:1. Carbon is the energy and nitrogen is the protein for all the microorganisms that break down the soil. If you have time, remember to layer your compost bin with #1, usually around 4 inches deep, then add a layer of #3, 1 inch deep. Let it sit for 2 weeks and then stir. Keep this rotation going. Add water if the pile is too dry. 

But if you do not have time to upkeep your compost don't worry, nature will do it's job and the mixture will eventually decompose.

At the bottom of your compost bin, if using a black bin, there will be a trap door. You will be able to gather all the rich "black gold" compost dirt, which will be full of worms, and add it to your vegetable and garden beds. This black gold soil will help your plants thrive.

It takes almost a year to start seeing black gold in the bottom of your compost bin. So start preparing for next year!

Happy planting everyone!