What is composting?

Composting is Nature's Way of recycling and is one of the best and easiest things you can do to reduce waste and grow healthy and sustainable garden or houseplants.  Under controlled conditions, organic material decomposes and is transformed by critters in the soil such as bacteria, insects, earthworms and fungi that recycle nitrogen, potash, phosphorus, and other plant nutrients into humus.

Why compost?

• Save time and money.  Reduce soil and fertilizer purchases by using compost when planting flowers, vegetables, lawns, and houseplants.
• It's good for the environment.  Often, organic material decomposes without air in landfills producing methane, a gas that contributes to global climate change.  In addition, food waste contains over 50% water, which is released during decomposition.  Water is undesirable in landfills as it collects contaminants when it comes into contact with garbage.  This contaminated liquid, known as leachate, could pollute neighboring ground water, lakes, and rivers.  By composting your organic materials, you are helping to reduce green house gases, preserve water quality and conserve landfill space!
• Enrich the soil.  Compost reduces erosion by improving soil structure and adds essential nutrients to the soil, helping to grow trouble-free plants with less water, fertilizer or pesticides.  Plants love compost!

What can I compost?

Browns (carbon source)

DO compost:

• Leaves, twigs, pine needles wood chips & sawdust
• Straw & cornstalks
• Shredded newspaper, cardboard, paper towels, napkins & tissues

DON'T compost:

• Branches over 1/2" diameter
• Sawdust from plywood
• Treated/painted wood
• Coated photo & copy paper
• Colored paper & waxed cardboard

Greens (nitrogen source)

DO compost:

• Grass clippings, weeds, garden trimmings
• Dead house plants & potting mix
• Vegetable & fruit scraps, bread & grains, eggshells, tea bags, coffee grounds & filters (moldy or lightly soggy food scraps are fine)
• Hair & lint
• Manure from farm animals
• Alfalfa hay/meal & blood meal
• Seaweed

DON'T compost:

• Meat, fish, poultry or dairy products
• Pesticide-treated grass clippings & diseased plants
• Treated/painted wood
• Invasive weeds & weed seed heads
• Pet waste & litter

How to compost

Composting at home is easy and can be done indoors and outdoors.  All you need is a bin, organic waste, air moisture, and a shovel or other turning tool.

• Mix and layer brown and green materials
• Keep compost damp and aerated

For faster decomposition:

• Chop materials into small pieces
• Aerate the pile frequently
• Add more greens - specifically fresh grass clippings
• The more frequently you mix the pile, the faster the pile will turn to compost.  If you mix the pile once a week , the compost should be ready in one to two months.  If you don't turn it, it will be ready in six to twelve months.  A lack of oxygen will slow down the composting process and cause odors, so make sure to turn, fluff and poke your pile.  In terms of moisture, the pile should be as damp as a wrung-out sponge, but not dripping wet.  Leaves should be damp when added.  Keep a cover on to retain moisture in hot weather.

Using finished compost

Composted materials are ready to use when it looks like rich, brown soil.  Try to harvest your compost in the late summer or fall to make room for new leaves.

• Potting soil:  To make potting soil, mix equal parts of compost, sand and loam.  Remove large particles and return to pile.
• Soil amendment:  Apply 2-3" of finished compost and mix with the top 4" of soil one month before planting.
• Lawn top-dressing:  Spread it 1/4" deep over the entire lawn to reseed and rejuvenate turf.
• Moisture-holding mulch:  Apply 2-3" around garden plants, shrubs and trees.
• Compost tea:  Steep a shovel full of compost in a 5-gallon bucket for a few days to pour on plants.  Use more water or less compost if watering seedlings.

Where to purchase compost bins

We are currently out of stock.  It will be posted here on the web site, once they become available.