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Creating a small compost pile in your own backyard makes it easy for households to convert small quantities of organic materials, such as yard trimmings and food scraps, into compost that can be spread onto garden beds, under shrubs, or used as potting soil for outdoor plants.
All composting requires three basic ingredients:
- Browns—Includes materials such as dead leaves, branches , twigs
- Greens—Includes materials such as grass clippings, vegetable waste, fruit scraps, and coffee grounds
- Water
Ideally, your compost pile should have an equal amount of brown material, which provides carbon, and green material, which provide nitrogen. The compost pile should be kept damp, like a wet sponge, to help breakdown the organic matter. Add brown and green materials as you collect them, making sure larger pieces are chopped or shredded. Always bury fruit and vegetable waste under 10 inches of compost material. Remember to keep the pile moist, but not too wet, and stir weekly to avoid any odors. Over a period of time, ranging from six months to two years, the materials are slowly transformed into a rich, healthy compost.
The followings items are great for composting:
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