If there is one secret to making fast compost, it is finely shredding the carbon rich ingredients such as fallen leaves, hay, straw, paper and cardboard. Shredding increases the surface area that the compost microbes have to work on and provides a more even distribution of air and moisture among the materials. The type of chipper or shredder used is not important, provided it can handle the materials. It's also important to have the right balance of materials in our fast compost so that it breaks down as quickly and efficiently as possible. The bacteria in our compost need both carbon and nitrogen to function; carbon for energy and nitrogen for protein synthesis. For every one unit of nitrogen used by the bacteria they also consume about 30 units of carbon. Therefore, in order to keep the bacteria working efficiently we need to create a compost pile that is about 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen. We want to have a ratio of 30:1 in our compost bin but we only have access to the following ingredients:
Within two days the compost pile should be ready to be turned for the first time. Compost bacteria need plenty of air to survive so it's best to turn more rather than less frequently. Move the material from the outer edges of the pile into the middle. The pile should be ready for a second turning after another day or so.
- dry autumn leaves (C:N of about 50:1)
- kitchen scraps (vegetable & fruit peelings, coffee grounds etc: about 12:1)
- grass clippings (about 20-30:1)
- sawdust (fresh: 500:1, rotted 200:1)
Within two days the compost pile should be ready to be turned for the first time. Compost bacteria need plenty of air to survive so it's best to turn more rather than less frequently. Move the material from the outer edges of the pile into the middle. The pile should be ready for a second turning after another day or so.