What No One Tells You About Construction and Contractors

Creating your own compost allows you to add more nutrients to your yard while also making good use of lawn clippings that would have otherwise been thrown away. Here are some tips for making compost in case you are new to it.  

Start With Green Clippings

When you are making your own compost, you are naturally going to start with your grass clippings and other green clippings. This might include grass from mowing your lawns, healthy green weeds you have pulled up, or plants you are disposing of. You might also have clippings from trimming your bushes and trees. In addition to this, there are other green materials you can add, such as leaves, tea bags, fruit and vegetable scraps, and even coffee grounds and their filters. The coffee grounds are good because it helps to attract worms to your soil, which is definitely something you want in a good compost.

Add in Brown Materials

Compost not only needs the green clippings but plenty of brown materials as well. Newspaper and other types of shredded paper make a good base for your brown materials. You will then add any dead or dried clippings from your yard, including leaves that are dried, wood chips, sawdust, and egg shells. Nut shells can also be added in the brown materials. Never use wood chips or sawdust from wood that has been treated. Other brown materials include paper tubes, paper towels, and ashes. With ashes, only use a small amount of them. When you have added the brown materials to the green materials, you want to have compost that looks like a good, dark soil.

Look For Equal Proportions

As you start combining the green and brown ingredients, you are looking for a balance of equal proportions. Try to have the same amount of brown materials and green materials when making your compost. If you have a lot of grass clippings, but not much brown materials put them aside and wait until you have more paper items or wood chips to add to the compost. You want carbon from the brown materials and nitrogen from the green materials, which are combined to make a high-quality compost.

Know What Not to Compost

While there are many items you can add to your compost to improve it, there are some things that should never be added. Make sure you are careful not to add any animal products, including waste from your pets, pet food, or bones from meats you have eaten. Never add any type of grease or oil, dairy products, or eggs; just the egg shells. Grass, plants and leaves that were treated with pesticides should also not be included. For further assistance, contact a local landscaping company.