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As gardeners, we remove nutrients from soil continuously. Harvesting, weeding, and removing spent plants all interrupt the natural process of replenishing the soil with organic matter. Composting allows us to recycle nutrients and return bulky garden wastes to the soil. Finished compost slowly releases these nutrients over time, giving gardeners a sustained fertilizer.
The compost recipe requires five ingredients:
- brown (carbon) waste such as wood chips, straw, dried plants and corn stalks;
- green (nitrogen) waste such as kitchen scraps, soft leaves, and grass clippings
- micro-organisms including bacteria and fungi that break down these wastes;
- moisture to prevent the compost pile from drying out;
- oxygen to enable the micro-organisms to work aerobically.
The first two ingredients are readily available in most gardens. As you build a new compost pile, try to alternate layers of brown and
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