started, you’ll realize how many things can be included.
brown material. Think about items in your home that most closely resemble the tree they came from. Avoid bleached and chemically- treated materials, but toss in toilet paper and paper towel rolls, brown paper bags, paper plates that are not waxy, cardboard, newspaper, coffee filters, paper towels, popsicle
Compost decomposition requires little assistance, and although compost bins make the process more efficient and aesthetically pleasing, a simple loose compost pile will do the job just fine. In other words, there’s no real need to contain it, so if building or buying a bin isn’t for you, start an easy and free compost pile instead. Location The compost bin will work most effectively in a place where it receives a lot of direct sunlight. Having said that, it will naturally break down even on the shady side of your home — eventually. But if you want to keep the cycle going that allows you to create compost every few months, you’ll want to choose a sunny location. It’s also important to choose a location with easy access for bringing food scraps from the house, adding water from the hose, or rolling a wheelbarrow for loading.
There is no ideal combination, but you’ll want to strike a mostly-even balance between brown, green, and organic materials. Brown Materials Brown materials include items like small twigs and paper products. These are items that come from trees and should make up about one-third of your compost pile. Chip or chop bark and branches into small pieces, or they will take a long time to break down.
sticks, toothpicks, pine cones, acorns, napkins and leaves.
Other natural materials that come from plants like cotton, hemp, jute, and burlap can also go into the pile. Just make sure they don’t contain chemicals or dyes. Examples include strips of bed sheets, organic cotton undyed fabrics and cotton balls.
Most tree-based items that are minimally processed count as
The Contents The most important thing to remember when adding
ingredients to your compost bin is that each material should be plant based. These materials break down, turning into precious fuel for your vegetable garden and other plants. That means what you put into the compost pile should be valuable as a component to your future plant food. Once you get
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