Balanced Compost

May's Sustainable Living Tip

Keep a bucket of dry leaves, shredded paper, sawdust, wood chips or coconut coir next to your composter so you can easily add the "browns" you need to promote fast, odor-free, and thorough decomposition of organic waste.

More Facts About "Browns" for Composting

1. Composting works best when you have a balanced ratio of carbon to nitrogen in the mix of materials you are composting.
2. Materials with a low carbon to nitrogen ratio are called "greens."
3. Materials with a high carbon to nitrogen ratio are called "browns."
4. Fresh yard cuttings and kitchen scraps are "greens."
5. Dried leaves, shredded paper and cardboard, sawdust, wood chips, peat moss, and coconut coir are "browns."
6. If you have too many "greens," your compost will likely smell bad, get slimy, ball up, and take more than six weeks to finish.
7. If you have too many "browns," pieces won't break down, your compost will never heat up and will take months or years to finish.
8. If you need to add lime to your pile, that's an indication that 1) you have too many greens, or 2) you aren't turning your pile often enough. Add more browns and turn your pile to ensure good mixing and air flow; you'll probably find you get better results with no need for lime.
9. Compost "activators" give a shot of "greens" to your pile. These are the perfect solution for compost piles that are heavy on the browns and aren't getting up to temperature. Mix the activator into your pile and add water; your pile should quickly heat up and start decomposing. If it doesn't, add more water and mix again, or wait for warmer weather. Getting a compost pile going is a lot like lighting a fire: you need to have the right fuel and it may take a few tries to get it started.
   
10. "Digester" style composters are stationary designs that sit on the ground, digesting scraps from the bottom up. Too many "greens" in this type of composter can become densely packed and odorous. Too many browns can also become tightly packed and biologically inactive. A good strategy is to always toss in a layer of greens and then a layer of browns on top. If necessary, you can also use a compost aerator to poke holes down through the layers to help water and air get to the microbes doing the work of decomposing.
11. "Tumbling" composters are a great way to make compost fast, but they also are prone to creating "compost balls" with uncomposted food waste in the middle of the ball. Try adding coarse browns like wood chips or coconut coir to keep clumps from forming. Also, a "poking stick" is handy to have on hand to break up any clumps that do form.
    
12. Your compost pile should never smell like a cesspool. If odors are a concern, it's better to err on the side of too many browns. Your compost will take a little longer to finish, but you'll avoid nasty smells.
13. If I have just one piece of advice to give to novices when it comes to composting, it is that "browns" are NOT optional! Especially in the spring, you really do need to have a plan for adding browns to your compost. Putting nothing but kitchen scraps in your composter is a recipe for a stinky disaster. Think of it like baking bread without the flour: you may end up with something edible, but it's a lot easier to follow the recipe. The good news is that whether it's leaves from your yard, or junk mail from advertisers, almost everyone has a convenient source of browns at hand.
14. Whenever you're diagnosing a composting problem, always remember what you W-A-N-T:
    W = Water
    A = Air
    N = Nutrients (greens and browns)
    T = Temperature
    
15. Keep your compost in mind as you clean up your yard throughout the year. If you can store some dried leaves, sawdust or wood chips over the winter, you'll be all set for next spring's composting season!