Simple version: You need greens and browns, oxygen and water, and it will "cook" and break down.
Greens are the nitrogen source (kitchen scraps, grass clippings, manure) and speed up the process, but too much green can make the pile stinky (but burying kitchen scraps a few inches down can help with that). Browns are the carbon source (dried leaves, paper, cardboard, any plant material that's dry). You generally need more browns than greens, but too much brown can slow the cooking down.
You want the pile to have oxygen, so that's why turning it occasionally (once a week?) will help it break down faster. It will need to stay moist, but not too wet--rule of thumb is like a wrung-out sponge.
I think it's very cool that you're composting. You're inspiring me to be greener with all the posts about it. :)
As for the woodchucks/pests...what do you use for cat litter? I use that Feline Pine stuff, and some say that the broken down (used) shavings (minus the poop) are great for mulch...presumably not for growing food, but you might sprinkle stuff that smells like cat urine nearby the garden to discourage pests from eating (you can also buy crystallized predator urine for the same purpose). Crunched up eggshells sprinkled around plants are good for discouraging slugs. Wish I'd known that before trying the beer traps near my strawberries--gross!
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timeasmymeasure
Compost
Date: 2008-04-24 06:20 pm (UTC)You need greens and browns, oxygen and water, and it will "cook" and break down.
Greens are the nitrogen source (kitchen scraps, grass clippings, manure) and speed up the process, but too much green can make the pile stinky (but burying kitchen scraps a few inches down can help with that).
Browns are the carbon source (dried leaves, paper, cardboard, any plant material that's dry). You generally need more browns than greens, but too much brown can slow the cooking down.
You want the pile to have oxygen, so that's why turning it occasionally (once a week?) will help it break down faster.
It will need to stay moist, but not too wet--rule of thumb is like a wrung-out sponge.
I think it's very cool that you're composting. You're inspiring me to be greener with all the posts about it. :)
As for the woodchucks/pests...what do you use for cat litter? I use that Feline Pine stuff, and some say that the broken down (used) shavings (minus the poop) are great for mulch...presumably not for growing food, but you might sprinkle stuff that smells like cat urine nearby the garden to discourage pests from eating (you can also buy crystallized predator urine for the same purpose). Crunched up eggshells sprinkled around plants are good for discouraging slugs. Wish I'd known that before trying the beer traps near my strawberries--gross!