1. What to Expect when You’re COMPOSTING The HOW, WHAT and WHY

2. What is COMPOSTING? Composting is the process of converting kitchen and yard waste into valuable fertilizer. It is a simple way to add nutrient-rich humus which fuels plant growth and restores vitality to depleted soil. It's also free, easy to make and good for the environment.

3. Why COMPOST? Benefits Soil enrichment: With compost, you are creating rich humus for lawn and garden. This adds nutrients to your plants and helps retain moisture in the soil. Recycles kitchen and yard waste: Composting can divert as much as 30% of household waste away from the garbage can. Introduces beneficial organisms to the soil: Microscopic organisms in compost help aerate the soil, break down organic material for plant use and ward off plant disease. Good for the environment: Composting offers a natural alternative to chemical fertilizers.

4. GREENS and BROWNS... WHAT?? Decomposition of organic materials in your compost bin will ultimately turn into compost, because COMPOST HAPPENS! The process is accelerated when you create the proper balance between the carbon-rich materials (called BROWN because they are dry) and the nitrogen-rich materials (called GREEN because they are more fresh and moist). In compost lingo, this balance is referred to as the Carbon-Nitrogen ratio. The most important factor in estimating the carbon- to-nitrogen ratio of plant or food waste is how much water is present.

5. AEROBIC COMPOSTING The type of composting you are doing in your tumbler is called aerobic because it combines the advantages of air, moisture, and heat to decompose organic matter. By contrast, anaerobic composting is like sealing your organic matter in a container without air. As a result, the material never heats up, although it eventually decomposes over a lengthy time period. Note: when you collect food scraps in a securely closed container to later add to your tumbler, the scraps essentially start decomposing in the anaerobic fashion; this is why the scraps start looking mushy and liquefy. In your compost tumbler are billions of microbes, mostly bacteria, who love the conditions of air, moisture and heat. They eat, grow, reproduce, and die. They are the ones responsible for the rise and fall of temperature in your pile.

6. MICROBES Most microbes in your compost are semi-dormant with little breakdown below 55°F/13°C. PSYCHROPHILES A psychrophile is an organism that reproduces and grows best at low temperatures, typically in the range -10 to 20°C (14 to 68°F). These cool-temperature bacteria invade the compost and begin to burn or oxidize carbon, releasing heat and nutrients in the form of amino acids. Even though psychrophiles are present in your compost below 55°F/13°C, you may not necessarily notice heat or breakdown in the tumbler. This is why compost is somewhat "dormant" in late Fall to early Spring. As the temperature rises in your compost, the next crew of bacteria arrives: the mesophiles.

7. MICROBES MESOPHILES Most of the microorganisms on earth belong to the group of mesophiles. Mesophiles grow best in temperatures between 21-32°C (70-90°F). In a compost bin, the microorganisms that make the matter break down take turns working. When new compost material is added to the tumbler, the temperature is cool enough for mesophiles to work, so they take charge. When the matter is broken down the compost becomes too hot for the mesophiles, then the thermophiles take over. Mesophiles are the real workhorses of the compost. In the confines of your compost bin, they consume literally everything in sight, generating enough heat to raise the temperature to over 100°F/38°C. The mesophiles work quickly. In compost reaching over 90° F, the mesophiles are replaced by the thermophiles.

8. MICROBES THERMOPHILES Thermophiles are microorganisms that live and grow in extremely hot environments that would kill most other microorganisms. They grow best in temperatures that are between 90-200°F/32-93°C. They will not grow if the temperature drops to 68°F/20°C. Thermophiles either live in geothermal habitats (like geysers), or they live in environments that create heat themselves. The compost in your tumbler is an example of an environment that produces heat on its own. Thermophiles arrive to do the "hot" composting. They work efficiently, raising the temperature high enough, to destroy germs and most seeds. High temperatures also generate humic acid, which enables plants to assimilate the nutrients in the compost.

9. MICROBES The compost will gradually decrease in temperature until the mesophiles and psychrophiles move back in from the cooler edges to resume their activity. At this time, actinomycetes (bacteria), fungi and many insects will be present. Tumbling your bin will create more air flow and cause the compost to heat back up again.

10. WHAT TO COMPOST Table scrapsNitrogenadd with dry carbon items Fruit & vegetable scrapsNitrogenadd with dry carbon items EggshellsNeutralbest when crushed LeavesCarbonleaves break down faster when shredded Grass clippingsNitrogenadd in thin layers so they don't mat into clumps Garden plantsuse disease-free plants only Lawn & garden weedsNitrogenonly use weeds which have not gone to seed Shrub pruningsCarbonwoody prunings are slow to break down Straw or hayCarbonstraw is best; hay (with seeds) is less ideal Green comfrey leavesNitrogenexcellent compost 'activator' Pine needlesCarbonacidic; use in moderate amounts Flowers, cuttingsNitrogenchop up any long woody stems

11. WHAT TO COMPOST Seaweed and kelpNitrogenapply in thin layers; good source for trace minerals Wood ashCarbononly use ash from clean materials; sprinkle lightly Chicken manureNitrogenexcellent compost 'activator' Coffee groundsNitrogenfilters may also be included Tea leavesNitrogenloose or in bags Shredded paper Carbon avoid using glossy paper and colored inks Cardboard Carbon shred material to avoid matting Corn cobs, stalks Carbon slow to decompose; best if chopped up Dryer lintCarbon best if from natural fibers Sawdust pelletsCarbon high carbon levels; add in layers to avoid clumping Wood chips / pellets Carbon high carbon levels; use sparingly

12. COMPOST COLLECTION BINS

13. TROUBLESHOOTING QUESTIONS??? COMMENTS