Composting Made Easy

I have to smile whenever I read about announcements in the paper about free composting workshops. Not to take anything away from the organizers of such events, but what you need to know about free backyard composting is pretty simple. Namely, throw lawn and garden debris, including grass clippings, leaves and even weeds into a big pile and walk away. A few months later, you'll have compost.

OK, I may be oversimplifying just a bit. But the fact of the matter is, composting is a great way to save our Earth from drowning in our own rubbish. I'm sure you've read about our rapidly-filling landfills and know about the necessity of recycling whenever possible. Well, composting is a great way to do your small part.

Compost is nature's own fertilizer and a gardener's best friend. You can re-use compost in your garden either as a planting mix or simply spreading it throughout the garden. Compost is literally made up of a fluffy, fertile black humus.

The ingredients for composting may start with garden debris, but you can also add many kitchen scraps, such as coffee grounds and filters, egg shells, apple skins, etc. Human and pet hair, pine needles, sawdust and seaweed is also great. You can also add manure from cows, horses, goats, sheeps, rabbits and poultry. Do avoid, however, manure from dogs and cats, as well as meat and dairy products, charcoal ash, kitty litter and colored paper from newspapers and magazines. However, strips of regular newspaper is fine.

Garden debris is primarily made up of things like grass clippings and leaves. Grass clippings are rich in nitrogen, break down quickly and add needed moisture to the pile. Leaves are rich in carbon and help dry out too-wet piles. Weeds and other garden debris bring organic matter (and their roots bring soil) to your compost pile.

Of course, there are a few tricks to get your compost pile in perfect working order. A mixture of 2 to 4 parts fresh green matter (like grass clippings) to 10 parts brown matter (like leaves) is best. Mix a couple shovelfuls of garden soil to introduce friendly bacteria, and you're off.

Chopping and shredding debris into smaller particles also will help things break down faster. Some gardeners run a lawn mower over their ingredients before piling them up. Adding water so your pile remains slightly wet, and stirring occasionally with a pitch fork are other recipes for

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