| Use compost fertilizer for your organic vegetable | | | | brown or green materials. |
| garden; it is an excellent source of organic | | | | - Adding a little bit of soil over the organic material |
| material. Compost barrels or compost bins are | | | | will help keep the flies away. Your compost |
| easy to find at garden centers. In fact, our | | | | materials need to be turned weekly if possible - |
| municipal landfill center sells the best compost bins; | | | | the process needs air to work effectively. |
| they are a good size, made with recycled | | | | - Also your compost materials should be damp |
| materials, and have animal proof lids; you don't | | | | (not overly wet or dry). If too dry, add a bit of |
| want to attract bears, raccoons, coyotes, mice, | | | | water. If too wet, aerate more often. |
| or other more domestic animals (our backyard | | | | - Disposing of vegetable waste such as corn |
| trails into a ravine and we have lots of wildlife | | | | husks, grass clippings, left-over vegetables, such |
| coming into our garden area). | | | | as radish leaves, carrot leaves, cucumber peel into |
| Make sure you place your composter on a solid, | | | | a compost bin is a great way to reduce waste |
| well-drained dirt or grass base (don't put it on a | | | | and to improve the quality of fertilizer for your |
| rocky foundation). Try to place it in an area | | | | garden. |
| where it will get some sun each day - this will | | | | - I also throw used tea bags and coffee grounds, |
| speed up the decomposition of waste. Investigate | | | | old flowers, and eggshells into my composter. I |
| tumbling compost bins or spinning compost | | | | tend not to put fruit pits (for example, peach and |
| barrels; these can aerate your compost quickly | | | | apricot pits) because they simply take too long to |
| and help speed up the decomposition process. | | | | decompose. |
| What to Put Into Your Composter? A Mix of | | | | Compost: How To Make It? |
| Brown and Green: | | | | Composting does take some time; at least two |
| - The best mix is four parts of brown material | | | | or three months in an efficient process. You can |
| such as dry leaves, shredded newspaper, (even | | | | buy a compost activator at your garden center |
| the lint from your dryer!) to one part of green | | | | to speed up the process but if you've followed |
| material such as weeds, grass clippings, vegetable | | | | the guidelines of brown and green mix, layering |
| cuttings and left-overs, fruit peels and seeds. | | | | with not more than 6 inches, ensuring that you |
| - Try to shred or cut the materials into smaller | | | | aerate properly and yet keep the materials damp, |
| pieces to help the composting process. The | | | | placing the compost barrel on soil or grass, and |
| brown provides carbon-based material and the | | | | allowing it to get some daily sun, your composter |
| green provides nitrogen-based material - both are | | | | will not require added activation. |
| necessary for the decomposition process. | | | | Compost fertilizer will help your garden grow; it will |
| - Try to layer wet and dry materials in the | | | | also help you dispose and recycle waste materials |
| composter for better decomposition. Also layer | | | | from the household and the garden (reducing |
| the materials; about 6 inches of each layer for | | | | what you send to the local landfills). |