Among the various ingredients needed for a healthy compost, red worms play a significant role in the break down of organic matter into rich soil. When starting compost, it’s not necessary to buy worms from ecological centers or your local botanical gardens. Simply start by adding your carbon and nitrogen sources into a bin and mixing on a regular basis. Worms will arrive naturally into the equation and continue to multiply by the hundreds, breaking down the kitchen and garden waste and creating a rich soil from the organic materials. To speed the decomposition process in your compost bin up, it helps to chop your organic materials into small pieces. The smaller you chop your browns and greens, the faster the bacteria, microbes and worms eat the organic materials, expediting the creation of compost.

The right balance of Carbon sources (browns) and nitrogen sources (greens) will ensure that the organic matter in your bin decomposes at a quick rate to help produce rich compost. Without carbon sources, the nitrogen sources (greens) added to your bin will decompose too quickly resulting in a smelly compost. Add more leaves or other “brown” sources to your compost bin if it smells more like Pepe Le Pew and not earthy. With too little nitrogen, microbes in the bin will be slower and weaker, resulting in the creation of compost over a longer period of time.

The right consistency of a well balanced compost will be like that of a wrung out sponge. If you find your bin is too wet, add browns and if it’s too dry, add some greens. Among some of the nitrogen sources you can use in your bin are: fruit and vegetable scraps, eggshells, coffee grinds with the filter, fresh green leaves and tea bags. Also contrary to a what many people have heard, citrus rinds can be composted. Orange and lemon peels for example are rich sources of nitrogen which will benefit the pile. Add more carbon sources if you are adding a high amount of citrus rinds and are concerned about acidity to the pile. Carbons that can be added to your pile can be in the form of brown leaves, paper and wood products, such as sawdust, chopped up twigs and shredded newspaper.

Composting benefits the environment in many ways by keeping organic waste out of landfills and allowing the compost to be saved for the fertilization of soils.

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