Green and Brown are the Colors of Composting

Composting is like being a chef. You have to mix the right amount of ingredients to make your masterpiece. However, with composting you are strictly working with greens and browns. Luckily, you will not be serving your compost to people. It is only for the plants in your garden. The materials added to your compost are not necessarily green and brown. The colors refer to the basic components of composting.

Greens are the organic materials that are rich in nitrogen and protein. The browns are the organic materials that are high in carbon or carbohydrates. The green ingredients allow microorganisms to multiply and grow in compost. The green ingredients also generate heat in the compost pile. The brown ingredients have a high carbon content that acts as an air filter that absorbs the odors that will eventually come from the compost pile.

The brown ingredients also help in the formation of humus from the compost pile as well. Some of the most common brown items are dry leaves, paper, sawdust and twigs. The leaves are high in carbon. Oak leaves, however, are high in nitrogen. Therefore, they are considered a green item. Some of the more common green items are grass clippings and fruit and vegetable remnants.

If you use chemical fertilizers or pesticides on your lawn, then it is not a good idea to use these clippings in your compost. You can also use crushed eggshells, coffee grounds, teabags and filters as green ingredients. Other brown ingredients include straw, cornstalks, pine needles and hay. Try to keep your ratio at three to one in favor of browns. This gives you a good idea of what the greens and browns mean when it comes to composting.

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