Installation & Assembly

and will tend to smell like putrefying garbage! Ingredients,
such as straw, don't mat down easily and are very helpful
in allowing air into the center of a pile. Turning the pile will
help air circulation.
Water
Ideally, your pile should be moist to fit the needs of
compost microbes. At this moisture level, there is a thin
film of water coating every particle in the pile, making it
very easy for microbes to live and disperse themselves
throughout the pile. If you are using dry ingredients, such
as autumn leaves or straw, you'll need to moisten them as
you add them to the pile. Kitchen fruit and vegetable
waste generally have plenty of moisture, as do fresh
green grass clippings.
Food
In broad terms, there are two major kinds of food that
composting microbes digest 'Browns' and ‘Greens’.
‘Browns’ are dry and dead plant materials such as straw,
dry brown weeds, autumn leaves, and wood chips or
sawdust. These items are a source of energy for the
compost microbes but because they tend to be dry,
browns often need to be moistened before they are put
into a compost system.
'Greens' are fresh (and often green) plant materials such
as green weeds from the garden, kitchen fruit and
vegetable scraps, green leaves, coffee grounds and tea
bags, fresh manure, etc. Compared to browns, greens
have more nitrogen in them. Nitrogen is a critical element
in amino acids and proteins, and can be thought of as a
protein source for the billions of multiplying microbes. A
good mix of browns and greens is the best nutritional
balance for the microbes. This mix also helps out with the
aeration and amount of water in the pile. Browns, for
instance, tend to be bulky and promote good aeration.
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