First Layers of Compost

The bin is now at Clarke Food Garden and the first layers of compost were laid this morning. I met Jan Christensen at the garden. She had two pales of kitchen scrapes that she layered atop of thin layer of wood chips. Then we layered hay over the food scrapes.
I perused a couple of websites for information about compost. Compost is made up of two different categories of organic material. Greens, which are vegetable and fruit scrapes and freshly cut grass or plant material, are high in nitrogen. Greens provide protein for the organisms. While browns, which are dry leaves, hay and wood chips, are high in carbon. Browns provide the energy for the organisms. This website insisted a 4-1(brown to green) mix provided the right combination for a healthy compost.
The first three layers we layered were an inch of brown, wood chips, to an inch of greens, fruit and vegetable scrapes, and another 3 inches of browns, hay. It seems to me that a perfect combination is merely a guideline. Too much of one category means a slower process of compost. Though the compost will still decompose.

Bin Construction

After class on June 17, 2010, I constructed the compost bin. I drew up the blueprints earlier in the day on a scrap piece of paper. I’m not a carpenter. I had a visual idea of what I wanted the bin to look like but I went in fairly blind. I enjoy going into project production without any direct expectations of a finished object. Made of primarily 2x4 and chicken wire, I constructed a one-yard cubic bin standing roughly 4’ tall. It’s slightly lopsided and I could have used thinner nails but I found tranquility in its imperfections.
The bin I constructed is referred to as an open bin container. The pros of an open bin container are allowing rain, air and sunlight to reach the compost without “opening” the container. All three elements are crucial for decomposition success. The con of an open bin container is providing an easier opportunity for rodents to reach the compost. Also, too much rain will slow the process.