There are many things you can use to make a good compost humus (which is what the
final product is called).  There are also quite a few items that should never go into your
compost bin.  Listed below are many of the materials you should not try to compost and
why it is not a good idea.

Ashes from charcoal should not be added to your compost, you can add very small
amount of ashes from a fire that was made with untreated wood.  It is not a good idea to
add a lot though because it can change the composition and make it too alkaline.

Do not add any kind of droppings from an animal that is not a vegetarian.  Animals that
pass the compost inspection include horses, cows, rabbits, and goats.  You can even add
droppings from hamster or other indoor pets.  But stay away from bird, dog, and cat
droppings (including cat litter).  They all can contain harmful organisms.

Any type of animal waste such as leftover meat, oil, bones, or fish waste are off-limits. 
They all can cause your pile to smell badly and can attract unwanted pests.

Milk, yogurt, cheese, or any other milk product should be added with caution.  They all
will attract animals and pests.  If you do decide to add them, do so in small amounts and
cover them with plenty of brown food afterwards.

You can add weeds, but you should take care to ensure your composting is functioning
properly.  If your compost is not generating enough heat the weeds will not be destroyed
and can grow again once you spread your compost.  You can dry your weeds on a
sidewalk or on some concrete before added to the pile as an added precaution to make
sure they do not survive.

Composting can benefit your garden and the planet (when done on a large scale) in many
ways.  A lot of people may shy away from composting because of some common myths
or misconceptions.  Listed below are some of the most common untruths followed by the
real information.

* Composting is creating new dirt.  Actually composting is not dirt, soil, or earth
but it is humus – decayed matter that provides nutrients to soil.
* It takes a lot of time and effort to compost.  Once you have your compost bin set-
up all you will only have to add new materials and turn or rotate the piles once in
a two day period.
* Having a compost is too smelly.  If your compost bin has a bad odor, something is
wrong.  You need to ensure there is enough air circulation and the right
combination of green and brown foods.
* If I have a compost in my back yard, animals are going to come and dig through
it.  If you have a cover for your compost bin and ensure a good layer of brown
food (at least one inch) is on the top you will not have any animal control
problems.
* If I don’t measure the exact ratio of green to brown food it will not work. 
Composting is not an exact science if you add more green food one week and then
balance it out with additional brown food the next week – that is fine.  You will
be able to tell with time what your compost pile is lacking or needing.

Composting is easy, environmentally friendly, and an inexpensive way to fertilize your
lawn, garden, or house plants.  With some time and patience your mature compost will be
ready to use anywhere from one month to one year.

The heat that is generated from the breaking down of organic matter into compost is
known as hot composting.  There is also cold composting, it doesn’t take as much of a
commitment from you to upkeep or manage but it does take quite a bit longer to yield
results.

Hot (or active) composting uses microbes to breakdown the matter.  Some experts will
recommend you inoculate the compost with live organisms purchased from a gardening
supply store in order to get the process started.  While others will recommend adding in
healthy top soil as it also contains live organisms that will convert your organic matter
into compost material.  Either way, once the process is started your compost pile will
generate heat.  You should tend or check on your pile every second day to ensure good
air circulation is maintained and that the right level of moisture is kept.

If you do not have the desire or time to maintain a regular compost bin, starting a cold
compost (or slow compost) may suit you better.  In a cold compost, you are only using
your yard waste and grass clippings instead of a combination of outdoor material with
your kitchen scraps.  All that is required of you is to pile your leaves and grass clippings
into a pile and wait.  The process is slow and long – it will not yield usable compost for
up to one year.  Be careful not to put in any weeds or other undesirable plants, as there is
no heat they will survive the composting process and can grow again when you use the
finished material.

If you generate quite a bit of yard waste and it is too much to include in your regular
compost bin consider using both methods.  You can have the best of both composting
methods.

In addition to the acceptable food scraps you can use to compost there are many different
organic items you can add too.  Some of the items on the list may surprise you while
others will be ones you have heard of before.  Just remember, by composting these items
you are reducing the amount of waste that your home produces.

Additional Composting Materials:

* Lint collected from your dryer
* Cardboard, cut into strips or small pieces
* Hair, make sure that is isn’t put in as one large clump
* Manure (from a horse, pig, or cow)
* Tree leaves, cutting or chipping them helps them break down faster
* Newspaper (considered brown food), cut into strips. Do not use the glossy pages
* and do not add too much (it can dry out the pile)
* Pine needles and pine cones
* Coffee grounds and paper filter
* Sawdust and wood chips (or shavings) as long as it is from untreated wood.
* Straw -  even better if it is used straw from horse bedding
* Grass clippings (green food)
* Seaweed or algae (you can get these from your home aquarium)

There are a few considerations to think about when choosing from the above list of items. 
If you do use dryer lint, it would be wise to only use it from cycles when you washed
clothes with natural fibers – man-made fibers would not breakdown in your compost.  If
you are using your compost for your garden be extra careful that everything you add has
not been treated – such as grass clippings.   If any type of commercial fertilizer or
pesticide has been sprayed on the grass do not add it to your compost bin.  Larger items
should be broken down as much as possible to speed up their decomposition.

There are living creatures that you want in your compost bin such as microbes and red
earthworms and then there are the creatures you want to stay away like raccoons, rodents,
and bears).  A compost bin can be very appealing to an animal, easy access to food.  As a
rule, you should never put animal matter into compost (left over meat and bones) not only
do they not make for good composting they will be a magnet to wild animals.  Following
are some more tips to help keep your compost bin free from pests of all sizes.

An odor-free compost bin is less likely to attract bears or any other animal friends.  You
can achieve this by rotating or turning the compost pile at least once per week.  Another
precaution that should be taken is to have a bin with a cover whether it is commercially
made or one you make yourself.

Another thing you can do is to put brown food such as lawn clippings on top of the green
food (food scraps and other kitchen waste).  You can purchase lime at your local nursery
or hardware store to sprinkle on the top of your composting materials that will increase
the rate at which everything decomposes.

The location of your compost heap should not be near the edge of your property
especially if you live near a forest or park area.  This makes it very easy for animals to
help themselves without being exposed by walking through your backyard.

If bears or raccoons are a big concern in your community you can look into a
neighborhood compost pile.  In addition to making composting more accessible to a
larger group of people, you can look into an electric or barbed wire fence to ensure no
unwanted animals come looking for a free lunch.

The hot composting method (also known as fast or active composting) is the most
common as it yields desired results relatively quickly.  It is also the best method to take
care of unwanted weeds as it will destroy the seeds during the heat phase.

After you have picked a level site for your composting bin, you will need a good base for
the bottom of leaves and high-quality soil.  The leaves should be chopped or chipped so
that no one piece is larger than two-three inches (this is a good rule of thumb for all
materials added to the bin).

Once your bin and base are in place you can start to add your green food (nitrogen-rich)
and your brown food (carbon-rich).  The ratio that should be roughly followed is one part
green for every two parts brown.

Monitor the pile every other day for moisture control and temperature.  During this time
you need to rotate or turn the pile to get good air flow inside the pile and to help with
odors. 

Once your pile is full or has finished the heat phase, let it cure.  The length of curing will
depend on your intended use of the finished product.  To eliminate any larger pieces of
organic matter that did not break down use a screen to sift them out.  But if you follow
the rule of not putting in anything that is larger than three inches this should not happen.

A compost humus can be ready to use in as little as 3-4 weeks with a hot composting
method and maintenance to the pile on a regular schedule.  If you are going to use the
cold (or inactive) method of composting, it can take up to one year for usable compost to
be ready.

Now that you have put in the work, waited the required amount of time and have your
finished compost material – what are you going to do with it?  There are more uses than
just laying it down on your flower beds.  Some are practical everyday uses and others are
more specialized.

You can make a tea with your finished compost; it is not for drinking though.  To make
your compost tea, add your humus to a water-tight container and fill with water.  Let the
tea “steep” anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days.  After it is done, put the
liquid compost through a fine screen to collect any debris.  What you have made is a
liquid fertilizer that can be sprayed on plants or other garden areas.

Compost can be used to help stop the spread of erosion.  It can be laid down thickly on
the area that is eroding away or it can be mixed with water to make a thick slurry and
then sprayed on the area that is in danger.

Humus (finished compost) is used as a final layer over a finished landfill to help new
plants grow with little to no erosion.  Finished compost can also assist in revitalizing an
endangered wetland.  The nutrient rich composition can be used to create a new wetland
as well.

Of course there are the traditional uses too – in gardens, planting beds, or other areas that
plants or vegetation grows.  If you are starting a new compost bin, in place of a layer of
topsoil for the base you can substitute an equal amount of compost material.  Farmers and
cities use mature compost on a large scale; it helps the environment and reduces the
amount of garbage that ends up in a landfill.

Now that you have decided vermicomposting is for you, you need to get some worms (a
lot of them).  For a standard size composting bin you will need two pounds of worms for
every one pound of raw material you add.  The earthworms you will need (known as red
wrigglers) do not go very deep underground so your pile or bin should be between 8-10
inches deep.

You may be tempted to go to your backyard and start digging up some worms, but you
really should invest in the proper kind.  The worms in your backyard are not the
recommended breed for composting.  You will need to buy worms that bear the name of
red wriggler (also known as redworms) or brandling worms.

Redworms or brandling worms can be purchased from a bait shop, some local gardening
centers or by mail order.  An average worm can eat its own weight in material in 24
hours; keep this in mind when you are determining the size of your compost bin and the
amount of worms you will need.

With the rate at which the worms consume the food waste, the timeline of getting from
raw organic material to mature compost is relatively short.  The same principle applies as
for regular composting – you need a good mix of green food and brown food (this can be
in the form of shredded newspaper).  The finished compost is known as worm castings,
worm humus, worm manure, and worm compost.

If you are using a hot or active composting method and it is in the maturing stage, you
can add redworms or brandling worms to speed up this last step.  You will most likely see
quite a few more helpful critters in your compost as it matures too – centipedes and
millipedes to name a couple.

If you do not have a large backyard or live in an apartment but still want to compost,
there are options available.  You can still compost easily and conveniently.  Some options
include composting on a balcony, in your garage, or even under your kitchen sink.

The best way to compost in a small space or indoors is using worms to help with the
decomposition process (known as vermicomposting).  This is a clean and odor-free way
to compost and can be done on a small scale.  You will need quite a few worms to start
the process.  Even though with this method you will add mostly green food (kitchen
scraps) the brown food is also necessary (the carbon is needed).  A good source of carbon
for an indoor composting bin is shredded newspaper – just remember not to use the
glossy pages.

You can try a traditional hot compost bin on your balcony taking special care and
consideration to turn the pile frequently to eliminate odors.  You do not want to alienate
your neighbors.  You will still need a supply of brown food to use in your compost bin,
contact your local gardening center or municipality on the availability of getting this
resource for free.  Chances are they will be happy to supply you with a bag.  You can
create your balcony compost bin out of a garbage can with holes drilled through the sides
to help with air circulation.

Another option is to look into a communal composting area for your apartment building. 
Check with the landlord or property management to see if there is a space you and the
other residents can utilize to start a compost pile.  The mature compost can be used for
house plants, balcony gardens, or flower boxes.  A schedule will have to be maintained
with either everyone sharing in the work or a volunteer that manages the pile.

You may wonder what the different benefits are between fertilizer purchased from the
store and compost humus that you make at home.  The aim of both is the same, to
improve the quality of your garden, lawn, and soil but there are differences too.

Many fertilizers that you purchase at your garden center contain artificial or toxic
elements to make your lawn look nice – not necessarily healthier.  The benefit of this
type of fertilization is the ability to purchase a mix that meets the needs of your specific
lawn.  If your lawn is too dry, patchy, or has a lot of weeds – there is a product available
that can target each problem (be aware that a pesticide is part of this solution).  If you are
using a commercial mix in your garden, read all labels carefully to ensure the product is
safe to use around vegetation that is going to be consumed.

In contrast, when you use compost humus as a fertilizer there isn’t a lot you can do to
customize the end result.  But the good thing is, you don’t really need to.  Mature
compost is a process that occurs naturally (in a forest, the leaves on the ground are
composted with only help from Mother Nature).  The compost contains a wide range of
benefits for your lawn that do not involve chemicals.

It will really depend on your personal preference whether or not you use commercial
fertilizer or compost.  If you like the idea of using compost but not the idea of making it
yourself you can purchase the compost from some gardening centers.  Also contact your
city’s recycling department, they may have a program set-up that allows residents to
donate food and other organic waste for composting and then share in the mature
compost when it is ready.