Composting

Nitrogen rich materials:                                                 Carbon rich materials:

Think of these as "greens"	Think of these as "browns"
* Lawn clippings	* Leaf litter
* Garden weeds	* Small prunings
* Food scraps and peelings	* Sawdust
* Animal manure	* Paper
* Tea leaves and coffee grounds	* Old potting mix/soil
* Eggshells	* Wood ash
* Flowers

• Meat, fish, chicken or dairy products.

• Non-living things such as plastic and plastic bags, bottle tops, straws etc.

• Diseased plants should be disposed of in your green waste bin.

• Pet droppings should also be disposed of in your green waste bin.

Choose a site, away from the house and shaded to help maintain moisture levels.
Alternate layers of greens and browns in other words, nitrogen rich materials and carbon rich.
Keep each layer thin and make sure it is kept moist but never wet.

Composting can be made in either a heap or bin, depending on the amount of material for composting and the needs and size of your garden.

A heap is useful for gardeners with large quantities of waste.  Minimum dimensions should be one cubic metre, sufficient to ensure a hot temperature.  The heap may be enclosed using bricks or timber.  Leave an access area or work space at the front of the heap for turning the compost and cover it with a lid or piece of carpet to retain heat and maintain moisture levels.

 A compost bin is ofter better for smaller, suburban gardens.  Plastic bins, metal tumblers and plastic tumblers can be purchased from nurseries and hardware stores.  Compost tumblers are available for gardeners who prefer to make compost in bins and want quick results.

Alternatively, make one yourself using a 200-litre drum or pieces of untreated timber.

Bins should be open at the top and bottom.  The top needs a tight-fitting lid.  The other end is placed in contact with the soil to allow earthworms to enter.  These little gardeners speed up the decaying process by loosening the compost and allowing air to enter and circulate.  Avoid placing the bin or heap too close to houses.  Consider placing it directly on level soil in a garden bed.

Symptoms	Problems	Solutions
Rotton odour	Not enough air; pile too wet	Turn pile; add coarse, dry materials (straw, corn stalks, etc)
Ammonia oudour	Too many greens (excessive nitrogen / lack of carbon)	Add brown (straw, paper or sawdust)
Low pile temperature	Too small; not enough air so moisture; few greens; or cold weather	Make pile larger; add water while turning the pile; mix in nitrogen sources (grass clippings, manure, or a synthetic fertiliser; or insulate the pile with a layer of straw or plastic
High pile temperature	Too large; not enough air	Reduce pile size; turn pile
Pests, such as as rats or insects	Meat or fatty food scraps in pile	Remove meat and fatty foods from pile; cover wth a layer of soil or sawdust, build an animal-proof compost bin.  Fine wire mesh works well.

Dig the compost into flower and vegetable gardens to a depth of about 5cm.  It can be applied to the surface of garden beds as mulch or used as top dressing for lawns.  When using compost on the garden, take care to keep it away from roots and stems to avoid burning.

No single chemical fertiliser or animal manure by itself can match the goodness of nutrient-rich, homemade compost.  It boosts nutrient levels in the soil, helps control diseases in garden wastes, saves trips to the tip and backyard burning, and reduces garbage output significantly.  Healthy, chemical-free vegetables, flowers and fruit are a bonus.

For more information on composting visit: http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/index.html