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Compost Recipes

There are two approaches to composting:

Cool and easy composting is adding materials gradually to a bin or pile and allowing them to compost slowly with little maintenance
Hot and fast composting is building and actively mixing a pile to produce disease killing temperatures and can yield finished compost in three – four months.

The following are sample recipes. There is no need to follow these compost recipes exactly, as there are many different “right” ways to compost.

Cool and Easy Composting

With this low maintenance “continuous feed” approach, compost is ready in 6 months to 2 years. This practice does not destroy weed seeds, runners or plant disease.

Ingredients:
· Mixed yard trimmings including grass clippings, flowers and stalks, leaves, weeds without seeds or spreading roots, twigs ad small branches
· Vegetable and fruit scraps and coffee grounds
· Rainwater and additional water as needed

Tools:
· Pitchfork
· Square point shovel or machete
· Water hose with sprayhead
· Chipper-shredder (optional) for thick woody materials
· Compost bins (optional)
· Tarp, burlap or black plastic cover (optional)

Directions:
1. Set compost bin or pile where water does not puddle when it rains, preferably a shaded spot next to a water source
2. Put yard trimmings in a bin or pile as they are collected

3. Chop or shred woody trimmings
4. When adding green yard waste to the pile, mix them into the leaves and other yard material already in the pile
5. Bury kitchen scraps under 10 inches of yards waste or finished compost
6. Moisten dry material as they are needed
7. Optional: cover top of compost with tarp or sheet to keep moist
8. When the material at the bottom looks like dark rich soil, you have compost. When convenient, move the non-decomposed materials into a new bin and harvest and use the compost

Hot and Fast Compost

This approach requires more maintenance, but produces compost in batches that are ready in one- four months. This practice destroys plant diseases, weeds and weed seeds.

Ingredients:
· 3-4 or more wheelbarrows of green yard material like grass clippings and garden debris
· 3-4 or more wheel barrows of brown materials such as leaves, dry weeds, brush and woody prunings
· Vegetable and fruit scraps and coffee grounds (as available)
· Water

Tools:
· Pitchfork
· Square point shovel or machete
· Water hose with spray head
· Rotary lawnmower or chipper-shredder (optional) for thick woody materials and leaves

· Compost bin (optional)
· Tarp, burlap or black plastic cover (optional)
· Compost thermometer (optional)

Directions:
1. Pick a 4 ft by 8 ft area where water does not puddle when it rains, preferably a shaded spot next to a water source
2. Chop up the gathered stalks and garden plants with the shovel or machete and chip or shred the wood trimmings
3. Cover half of the 4x8 area with a 6 inch layer of brown material
4. Add a 3 inch layer of fresh green materials and add a dash of soil, finished compost or compost accelerator
5. Mix this layer lightly into the layer below with a hoe or cultivator
6. Top with a 3 inch layer of brown material and add water until moist
7. Repeat steps 4-6 until the pile is at least 3 feet high. Note: The pile should be covered with 4 inched or more of brown material. Food materials should be mixed deep into the pile
8. Turn the pile over every 1-2 weeks with a pitchfork or shovel until the pile does not re-heat much after turning. With each turning, move dry materials from the edge of the pile t the middle of the new pile and add water as needed.
9. Let the pile cure for two weeks before using. The compost should look and smell like dark rich soil.