From blogs.oregonstate.edu/cultivatingservice
- 3:1 brown to green ratio (see examples and full list below)
- The more air circulation, the less it will smell and attract animals
- Minimum size 3 ft3
- Heat breaks down the pile
- Keep moving the outside stuff to the center where there’s heat
- Turn it every week = 2 month compost time
- Leave it alone (never turn it) = 6 months
- It needs to be damp all the time
- Use compost as a 1/2″ layer on top of your garden or use as a transplant soil
- Shredding items helps them break down faster
Browns (carbon)
- Fall Leaves
- Straw
- Pine needles
- Twigs, chipped tree branches/bark
- Sawdust
- Corn stalks
- Paper (newspaper, writing/printing paper, paper plates and napkins, coffee filters)
- Dryer lint
- Cotton fabric
- Corrugated cardboard (without any waxy/slick paper coatings)
Greens (nitrogen)
- Coffee Grounds / Tea bags
- Egg Shells
- Decomposing plants, plant waste / trimmings
- Manure (from an herbivore)
- Grass clippings
- Vegetable and fruit scraps
- Annual weeds that haven’t set seed
Dos and Don’ts
DO compost
| Materials | Carbon or Nitrogen | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Alfalfa meal and hay | Carbon | Shredding or chopping it up will help it break down quicker |
| Algae, seaweed and lake moss |
Nitrogen
|
Good source of nutrients and minerals. |
| Apple pomace (cider press waste) | Nitrogen | If dried use as a carbon |
| Ashes (wood, not coal) |
Neutral
|
Use only wood ashes since coal ashes can be toxic to plants. Use sparingly as a pest deterant. |
| Banana peels | Nitrogen | Shredding or chopping it up will help it break down quicker |
| Beverages, kitchen rinse water |
Neutral
|
Help keep the pile moist, but don’t over do it. |
| Buckwheat straw or hulls | Carbon | Shredding or chopping it up will help it break down quicker |
| Cardboard |
Carbon
|
If you have lots of this, consider recycling it. Otherwise, shred into small pieces in pile. |
| Cat litter (unused!) | Carbon | Ugh..make sure its unused |
| Clover | Nitrogen | Add it for a bit of luck! |
| Cocoa hulls | Carbon | Shredding or chopping it up will help it break down quicker |
| Coffee grounds (and filters) |
Nitrogen
|
Great source of nitrogen and worms love coffee grounds! The filter will break down so add it too! |
| Cornstalks, corn cobs | Carbon | A little tricky, so shred and/or break down and mix well into pile. |
| Cotton Bur | Nitrogen | Great to use to jump start your pile or warm it up |
| Cowpeas | Nitrogen | Add them if you got them! |
| Dog food |
Nitrogen
|
Best if not a meat based dog food |
| Dryer lint |
Carbon
|
Yum, lint. Make sure you moisten it a little before you add it. |
| Eelgrass | Nitrogen | If dry use as a carbon |
| Egg shells |
Neutral
|
These break down slowly, so make sure to crush these before adding. |
| Feathers |
Nitrogen
|
Slow to break down, shred if possible to speed up process |
| Flowers | Nitrogen | Green use as Nitrogen, dried use as carbon |
| Fruit peels (not limes) | Nitrogen | Best if you cut them up to small pieces |
| Grape pomace (winery waste) | Carbon | When dried and shredded best used as a carbon |
| Green Grass clippings |
Nitrogen
|
When green can be used as a Nitrogen |
| Dried Grass clippings |
Carbon
|
Make sure they are not too wet and mix with dry leaves for best results. |
| Hair |
Nitrogen
|
Good source of nitrogen. Make sure you scatter, so it doesn’t clump. |
| Hay |
Nitrogen
|
The best kind is hay that is not suitable for livestock and is starting to decay on its own. Make sure it is dry and weathered. |
| Hedge Clippings | Carbon | Shredding or chopping it up will help it break down quicker |
| Hops (brewery waste) | Carbon | When dried and shredded best used as a carbon |
| Kelp (seaweed) | Carbon | Good source of potassium (perfect for growing potatoes!). Use sparingly or sprinkle kelp meal in to get your pile cooking. |
| Leather (leather waste) |
Nitrogen
|
Shredding or chopping it up will help it break down quicker |
| Leaves |
Carbon
|
Shredding or chopping it up will help it break down quicker |
| Manure from herbivores (cow, horse, pig, sheep, chicken, rabbit) |
Nitrogen
|
Best if known to come from a herbivore |
| Newspaper |
Carbon
|
Shredding or chopping will help it break down quicker |
| Nut shells | Carbon | Shredding or chopping will help it break down quicker |
| Oak leaves |
Carbon
|
Shredding or chopping will help it break down quicker |
| Oat straw | Carbon | Shredding or chopping will help it break down quicker |
| Sawdust and wood shavings |
Carbon
|
Preferably not from kiln-dried wood |
| Paper | Carbon | Shredding will help it break down quicker |
| Peanut hulls | Carbon | Shredding or chopping will help it break down quicker |
| Peat moss | Carbon | Also great to add to your garden soil |
| Pine needles and cones |
Carbon
|
Shredding or chopping will help it break down quicker |
| Tea leaves | Carbon | Best if shredded to help it break down quicker |
| Vegetable peels and scraps | Nitrogen | Kitchen scraps are a great source of nitrogen |
| Vetch | Carbon | From the pea family, yup add it too |
| Weeds |
Carbon
|
Don’t add if your concerned about spreading the seeds |
| Wheat straw | Carbon | Best if shredded to help it break down quicker |
DON’T compost
|
Materials
|
Carbon or Nitrogen
|
Details |
|---|---|---|
| Ashes (coal or charcoal) |
n/a
|
May contain materials that are toxic to plants. |
| Cat droppings/litter |
n/a
|
These may contain disease organisms and should always be avoided for composting. |
| Colored paper | ||
| Dog droppings |
n/a
|
Same as cats. |
| Lime |
n/a
|
High alkaline pH can kill composting action. |
| Meat, fat, grease, oils, bones |
n/a
|
Do not break down, can coat materials and “preserve” them, can attract pests. |
| Nonbiodegradable materials | ||
| Toxic materials |
CAREFULLY compost
| Materials | C/N | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Bird droppings |
Nitrogen
|
Some bird droppings may contain disease or weed seeds |
| Diseased Plants |
Nitrogen
|
Make sure your pile gets to at least 135 degrees Fahrenheit for a few days to let it “therma kill” the disease |
| Milk, yogurt, cheese |
Neutral
|
May attract pests, so put it in the middle to deep into the pile |
| Weeds |
Nitrogen
|
For best results, dry them out until crunchy, then add them to your compost pile |
| Sod |
Nitrogen
|
Like diseased plants, make sure your pile gets hot enough to make sure the grass doesn’t keep growing in your pile. |
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