Composting Guidelines

If you follow the ensuing three composting guidelines you will end up with a rich crumbly brown soil that is useful both as a soil fertilizer and conditioner. Mixing compost into your soil is also a great way of compositing enzymes into your garden as a way of amending it.

In order for your soil to receive the most compositing enzymes the pile or stuff in the bin needs a proper ratio of le carbon-rich materials, or "browns," and nitrogen-rich materials, or "greens." Among the brown materials are dried leaves, straw, and wood chips. Nitrogen materials are fresh or green, such as grass cuttings and scraps from your kitchen. According to composting guidelines put forth by most seasoned gardeners, the best ratio for compositing enzymes is one part of the green stuff to one part of the brown stuff.

It is a good idea to compost leaves however be aware that there are some types of leaves that can ruin your compost pile. For instance the leaves from black walnut trees contain a poison that you don’t want transferred into your soil. Eucalyptus leaves can be toxic to other plants in your garden, even after they have decayed into fertilizer. You should also avoid using leaves from poison ivy, sumac or oak.

One way to keep leaves from becoming rank in your composter is to spread them out in your driveway and let them sit in the sun for a day. This helps them break down more easily when it comes to compositing enzymes.