What can you add to your composter or composting bucket? Almost anything organic that will break down! A compost pile is a living ecosystem. For that ecosystem to thrive, it needs moisture, oxygen, and the right mix of ingredients, especially carbon and nitrogen. Carbon is the energy source for compost. Nitrogen provides the proteins that microbes need to grow in your compost.
The Brown-Green Mix:
In garden composting, you hear a lot about the Brown-Green mix. What is brown and green? Green materials provide the nitrogen in your compost bucket. They are usually green in color with a high water content. Vegetable peelings, coffee grounds and rotten pumpkins are examples of Green.
Examples of Green Mix
Leftover vegetables, fruit, and peels
Leftover bread and pasta
Coffee grounds
Leftover molasses & honey
Citrus wastes
Rotted squash & pumpkins
Unused herbs
Tea bags and grounds
Egg shells
Cow, chicken, rabbit manure*
Tobacco wastes
Leftover Cheese or Yogurt
Shrimp, Crab & Lobster shells
Spoiled canned goods
Brown materials provide the carbon. They are usually yellow, tan, or brown in color with low moisture. Dead leaves, dried grass, shredded paper, dryer lint, and straw are examples of brown compost.
Keep in mind that some items are both Brown & Green, and perfect for composting. Freshly cut grass, for example, has a high water content and is considered a “green” even though it will quickly dry and turn into a “brown”. Do not worry about the label, just add it to your compost bucket.
Examples of Brown Mix
Grass clippings, weeds, and leaves
Wood chips, tree bark, sawdust
Hay or straw
Pine needles
Napkins and Paper towels
Wool, old leather
Wood ashes
Shredded newspapers
Alfalfa, Nut shells
Houseplant trimmings or potted garden soil
Hair
Snow
We recommend two to three parts Brown for every one part Green. Don’t worry about the exact proportions. The material you have available to compost will always be changing. Your composter fill will always be an approximation.
As you work with composters, you will quickly learn how to keep the mix healthy. If the composters give off an ammonia odor or looks soggy, there is too much green – add more brown. If the compost pile is too dry and crunchy – add more green.
*Note for manure – we recommend composting the manure of plant-eating animals, such as birds or cattle. Do not compost the waste of meat-eating animals such as dogs.
Worms?
Yes! Composting and vermiculture work together. Many of our customers add worms to their Compost Sak™ bucket. Worms will help with the natural breakdown of compost. They will regenerate inside the Compost Sak™. You do not have to add worms for the Compost Sak™ to work, but it can add to the fun!