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Article #417: Composting for Beginners - the Science in Perfecting the Art of Composting

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Behind every scientific equation in chemical composition of your materials,
composting lies an art form that's NOT 30 times the amount of brown stuff to
different for everyone. Composting isn't one of the green. With this ratio you're
necessarily a hard thing to do; other bound to reach a hot temperature of about
than the materials, equipment, waste and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, which is ideal
space, all it truly needs on your end is for the microbes in your compost to eat
patience and commitment. We're not up all the carbon and nitrogen rich
exactly painting the ceiling of the goodies.
Sistine Chapel, but we're going to make a Another recipe that you can follow is the
healthy, sustainable garden fit for one "2 parts green, 1 part brown" recipe also
with just composting alone! Remember, found in Home Composting Made Easy. This
it's a trial and error method until you basically means that you can achieve the
find the perfect scientific solution to 30:1 to 50:1 ratio, the latter being
make your ideal batch of compost. ideal for low temperature compost
Let's begin with an explanation of the batches, by including two parts of green
carbon/nitrogen ratio, or the C/N ratio. stuff to one part brown stuff. For
In order for you to have a successful, example, if you mix grass clippings
usable batch of compost you have to have (17:1), non-diseased and seedy weeds
the right balance between the brown stuff (20:1) with dried leaves (60:1) and
and the green stuff. Get your mind out divide that up by three, you have a
of the gutter! It's not what you really product of 32:1, which is close to the
think it is! The brown stuff, like dried 30:1 average. Of course, you should play
leaves, tree bark, straw and hay have a around with your recipe to find the
lot of carbon, and the green stuff like perfect fit for your batches. As long as
fresh grass clippings, fresh leaves, you don't have too much green or too much
chicken manure, fruit wastes and food brown, you should have a successful batch
scraps have a lot of nitrogen. This is of ready to use compost!
where the simple scientific equations Remember, composting is a science and an
come in; actually it might be better if art form. Keep working at it and use
you think of it more as a cooking recipe these basics to find the perfect C/N
because it really is! ratio.
According to Home Composting Made Easy, *Referenced from Home Composting Made
it's best if you try to achieve the ideal Easy by C. Forrest McDowell, PhD and
30:1 C/N ratio for your compost. This Tricia Clark-McDowell, 2002.
average ratio basically describes the






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