Composting Supplies

Compost has everything going for it – it turns what you would usually throw out into high quality soil, which means less garbage for the landfill. You are actively recycling and, as a gardener, you have a free and constant source of rich, dark organic fertilizer for your garden. What’s not to love?

Compost is the end-product of the natural process of turning organic matter into soil. The multitude of organisms, good bacteria, earthworms, insects and fungus in the soil break down material into more soil. For our compost, we want to replicate this process in our backyard, and at a much faster speed so we can begin using this material in our gardens almost immediately.

Compost Bins

Compost is a natural process, so you can simply leave vegetable matter on the ground and it will eventually decay. As gardeners, though, we probably don’t want to see a pile of unsightly rotting materials in our yard. We want to make the process more efficient as well. This is where a compost bin or tumbler will help you:

	Mantis Compost Tumbler – This is a neat idea – instead of having to stir your compost every few weeks to help aerate your pile, simply tumble it. This results in a much faster break-down process, and you can begin using your compost in as little as three weeks. Plus, your kids can have a lot of fun turning it! More info…
	Earthmaker™ Composter – In ingenious system invented in New Zealand. You place your scraps into the top chamber, where it quickly heats up and decomposes. In a couple weeks to a month slide out the panel where it moves into a cooler second stage. Another month there, and then slide it into the bottom chamber, where it matures into easily removable, rich compost! More info …
	Pyramid Compost Bin – Constructed from recycled plastic, with easy access lid, a rain-catching pyramid top, adjustable air vents and sliding back and front exit door. 12 cubic feet capacity. More info…
	No compost tea yet? Start right away with compost tea concentrate – Simply steep in 5 gallons of water for 48 hours, and spray on your garden and vegetable plants! More info…

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Composting Equipment and Supplies

You can break down compost faster using some or all of these techniques:

• A proper balance of green (nitrogen-based) and brown (carbon-based) material;
• Keeping the compost moist (though not too wet);
• Maintaining a high internal temperature (busy, healthy microbes give off heat);
• Stirring your compost at regular intervals for air (compost organisms need oxygen)

To help with this, the following supplies are useful for achieving fast, nutrient-rich and healthy compost:

	Compost Starter – Organic activator to fire up your compost pile. It’s made with a formulated blend of nitrogen, active micro-organisms, alfalfa, cocoa meal, and special enzymes. Combine, water, aerate twice a week, watch your scraps turn to rich soil!
	Coir Bricks – “Brown Matter” – With all the kitchen scraps, lawn clippings and coffee grounds, I often have too much “green material” in my compost. I add this coconut fiber (coir) in layers to help build up the brown material. There’s 10 bricks per package (each brick is good for two and a half gallons, dry), and it’s also great as worm bedding.
	Compost Aerator – If you have a regular compost bin, (not a tumbler), you’ll know how hard it is to aerate with a pitch fork (I actually broke my old compost bin when I got a little too aggressive sifting the contents!) A compost aerator works much better. The spikes fold back when pushing down, then open to loosen up the material as you push up. Works great!
	Cornstarch compost bags – No more messy, smelly compost pails. Simply line your pail with these 100% biodegradable cornstarch bags, and when you need to carry it to your compost bin, throw everything in, bag and all! Pack of 100. (Shown with ceramic kitchen compost crock pot. Note that ceramic does not stain or absorb food odors.)

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