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A project of Volunteers in Asia

Backyard Comgosting

by: Helga Qlkowskf

Published by: Ecology Center 2179 Wllston Way Berkeley, CA 94704 USA

Paper copies are $ 0.50 in the USA, $ 0.86 from o%her countries.

.Qxilable from: Emlogy Cente: 2179 Allston ,day Berkeley, CL 94704 USA

Reproduced by permission of the Bio-Integral Resource Center.

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Y

2179 ALLSI’QN WAY ERKELEY, CALl%‘URNU 94704

0 a high temperature, with mx3t of ided by i3.mgL

method proceeds we231 in cool maist. wea- If a windr or a rew of LlLi.tt1.e piles,

begun in the eariy spri~lq and completed iiy the late fall, when the hmws xm3Pt again

wiltk be xeacfy to use., The ad- ides simplicity, is that eme

have to worry about a nitrogen SQUZC~.

-

,

a shady place out tas gu

use or ga

--

R csf saw of fa3d are p

g Off a s

abs~~b@~~ mat e in* saw~~gt i

abbe from the sources po3- t dc3wn 1

d manurep r AigrQyen

over the 5.ay- a 3 to 5 inch

enp and uafless your e deficient i

m&d to add bca ercial~y sold

ave nat been shewn t=o .in small pill2s --

rganisrtas that de- erial are everyx4here

d on%y the proper environment fix2 y~~mi~at~ and begin work.

ve finished building the pile have about a cubic yard:sf A smaller pile does not hoid eguatelly,

trat ifxlrn, a larger pile is

eat

and that your

than others, Fats gs so

aves # coni- fear needles and simila

than pLl.t in th earn which ,

aur area are too difficuk .

different ways, daily as 2x?CUrn-

e weeds and other prping from Ef your househ&!..d does not

gh, you may obtain scxw from

You wil.1 also need some -- dried grass and weeds, dry

and will absorb le from becoming

erialso such a h in nitro-

such quan- is more than 1 part ni-

0 parts carbon, e respired b

Hn tni le 4x1 smell the gas

garbage is ysu,ally very h_igh'in ,as are grass clippings, and if contains a very high proportion of

s -then bittLe or no additional of nitrog n may be needed.

,

L

p~i.2.~ if it. has had east a week of composL&n

that spot is to l-0 and if no plant-

urtker few i-fjmediately.

decompastisn of "she materia2 SG;ik by bacteria requires nitrogen,

s it does in the bin. Thus, raw com- post may cause a temporary deficiency of

the soiP if it is law in this ?If the compost contains much

at has not bsxken down sufficiently,

ing Euom it, is a strong ammonia smell com-

this may cause damage ts the pPants from excessive nitrogen.

Caution: HE a~~Q~~a. smexL persists heavily after csmpost has C86 0 no% use c%ose to pPants (within fou ive inches cf stems) as you risk causiarg ni r*en burn. Next time use prc3portioPna UP mm-e vegetable matter co ost pile*