All the leaves are Brown - Part II
and the soil is black
All the leaves are Brown and my soil is hopefully black
My last post was reasons and musings WHY you might want to regenerate some of the local soil in your area. So, if you haven’t read that one you might want to head there first and then come back here.
Composting
Composting is just like baking a cake. You need the right ingredients, in the right amounts and enough time at the perfect temperature.
Just like mom used to make!
And…just like baking a cake, if you’re a novice, it does help to follow closely to a tried & trusted recipe.
The more experience you get with baking or composting the more you can throw your recipes away and measure by fist and by eye.
Maybe substitute an ingredient here or experiment with different textures. Add a bonus step here or takeaway some steps completey.
But in the beginning, follow the steps and if it goes somewhat array you can try to tmretraxe your steps and see what you missed or miscalculated or didn’t account for.
It’s harder to learn if we’re just doing random shit each time.
The Compost Joker
That said… whilst you're following all the rules, I'll give you a Joker that you can keep in your back pocket.
You see, unlike baking, composting is a natural process. That is to say, the cycle of birth, growth death and decay is the fundamental order of the Universe.
Our compost pile is not going to stop just because we added the wrong thing or forgot to add something.
Go to any forest and scoop up some of the forest floor, beneath the first few inches of acorns, branches and rotting leaves, you will find the darkest, richest soil imaginable. All without human interference.
Nature does a spectacular job of composting regardless of the conditions.
Underneath hedgerows, in your kitchen bin, and your compost bin, nature is constantly adjusting to the conditions. Constantly adapting but always in this process of breaking down so that more life can be born out of the result and the cycle can begin again.
Hopefully, this gives you peace of mind, knowing that you follow the rules but also you don’t worry about the rules,’.
Nothing in gardening is fast, which is a large part of the beauty of it, but we do want to be as efficient as possible with our composting because composting is what brings life to your soil and soil is what brings life to your flowers and food crops.
Soil is the great orchestra of the earth
Turbo-Charge
Turbo-charging your compost is ‘simply’ a matter of finding the balance with moisture, air and the chemical elements; Carbon & Nitrogen.
MOISTURE -not too wet, not too dry.
AIR -enough airflow to maintain oxygen levels but not so much that the heap loses heat
CARBON:NITROGEN - 30 to 1 (30 times as much carbon as nitrogen)
All the Browns & Greens
Looks like this is turning into a 3part series.
Next part we’ll have a deeper look at your Browns (carbon) & Greens (nitrogen). Where to find your sources and why sometimes your browns are really your greens; like coffee which is brown in colour but green (high nitrogen) in profile.
Have a blessed weekend my Soil Kings & Queens 🙏
Ooo coffee ☕️🪱☕️✨