While waiting to set up my "experiment compost piles", I thought I would add a another one that I can start right now because I have the bin ... a huge garbage bin.

Even though I got nice compost several years ago, I did not especially follow "composting guidelines". I thought I would at least TRY to do what you are supposed to do this time.

I want to make sure I understand two things ... "greens" and "browns" and need to make sure the "definition" is something that makes sense to me and I can easily identify as one or the other.

Are greens things that are still "green" or relatively close to "fresh" ... as in new leaves, grass, kitchen waste?

And that would make browns things that were farther away from being fresh ... like dried up leaves, twigs, coffee grounds, paper etc. Is that correct?

And then I have to add nitrogen. The video I just watched used rabbit pellet food as the nitrogen.

And finally I'm very unclear on the ratio of greens to browns to nitrogen etc. Any tips?

I'm planning on getting another garbage bin to "turn" the compost into every 2-3 weeks.

Robin

The main one is the ratio of greens and browns. The value of the total mix ratio should be around 25 to 1, Carbon and Nitrogen. Not 25 parts Brown and 1 part Nitrogen, which makes it sound like the nitrogen ingredients should be 4% of total by volume.

So equal parts by weight of a 'green' with C:N value of 15, and 'brown' with C:N value of 35, would average the optimal mix of 25.

Often people use volume instead of weight, to talk about C:N ratios. This can be a less accurate, but easier way to talk about carbon and nitrogen.

The mention of using twigs on the bottom is an idea past its prime. I've read only one mention of this (one assumes the object is to create an air space) in the last thirty short articles about composting. The disadvantage of having an air barrier at the bottom of the pile, is that the pile needs to be higher, and therefore harder to turn over. Say your pile, resting on the ground, is 4'long by 4' wide by 2.5' high. A pile not using the soil under the pile for heat storage would have to by 4'long by 4'wide by 4'+ high. This assumes the composter wants a hot pile.

Most composters prefer to mix, rather than layer. Layering often leads to clumping of material.

The article says to cover the pile. The question of whether or not to cover the pile depends on a number of factors -- rainfall, wind, snowfall.

For me almost every compost pile is an experiment as I use different materials, the weather is different, and I may not mix or turn it as often, or at all. Just remember, it all becomes compost eventually. Only when we are impatient for results is it necessary to follow the 'rules' carefully.