Composting: How to Plan, Build, and Maintain Your Own Compost System for a Healthy and Vibrant Garden by Kim Pezza

Author:Kim Pezza
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hatherleigh Press
Published: 2019-09-17T16:00:00+00:00

Browns, on the other hand, are high in carbon or carbohydrates, and include:

paper

junk mail

paper egg cartons

cardboard (in small amounts)

dried leaves

Browns, the colloquial term for carbons, are essential as an energy source for any compost pile. Photo by Shopping Sherpa under the Creative Commons Attribution License 2.0.

Your pile can also include wood ash (when used sparingly; see the following box), bark and sawdust, shredded cardboard (in small amounts; put any excess in the recycle bin) and newspapers, corn and vegetable stalks, pine needles, straw, leaves and twigs (broken into small pieces to make the decomposition process faster).

Wood Ash

As stated, wood ash may be used in your compost pile, provided that it is used sparingly. Wood ash adds phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients (such as manganese, iron, boron, zinc and copper) to your pile. It can also help to adjust a pile that is too acidic. However, wood ash is highly alkaline, which is why it needs to be used sparingly. Wood ash used in compost piles should come from a fireplace or even a campfire (as long as you are only burning logs), as opposed to the wood ash that comes from charcoal, or other wood sources (such as old 2x4s, crates, palettes and such), as these may contain chemicals which you do not want leaching out into your compost. That said you should also be cautious with ash from fruit wood, as many fruit trees are sprayed with chemicals throughout their lifespan.

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