How to be a smarter composter

Always seek balance. As easy as it is to fill a compost bin with grass clippings now and fallen leaves later in the year, “variety is more important than volume.” Try always to alternate green materials with brown. In summer, when pulled weeds and other green ingredients are abundant, beef up your carbon-rich brown layers using bales of straw or hay—even an occasional newspaper.

Know these quick fixes. If the balance is right, you can leave the heap alone: It will decompose without smelling. Should a foul odor arise, tame it by turning the pile and getting air to the microbes trying to do their work. If the pile instead is getting too dry, moisten it with water.

Think beyond ‘green’. Not everything in the nitrogen-rich layers needs to be literally green. Also throw in fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, cooked rice or pasta, and egg, shrimp, or lobster shells.

Source: The Washington Post ■