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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.
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Emlogy Cente:
2179 Allston ,day
Berkeley, CL 94704 USA
Reproduced by permission of the Bio-Integral
Resource Center.

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 Y
2179ALLSI’QNWAY
ERKELEY, CALl%‘URNU94704
 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, a larger pile is
trat ifxlrn,
 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 and if no plant-
that spot is to l-0 few i-fjmediately.
urtker 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,
is a strong ammonia smell com-
ing Euom it, 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*