Browns and Greens

Composting breaks down organic materials into usable soil. To ensure that items decompose properly, having the correct material mixture is essential. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (n.d.), all compost requires three ingredients: browns, greens, and water.

Click the items in the accordion to learn more.

(EPA, n.d.)

A Compost Recipe

There are different recommendations for compost mixtures, but most suggest an equal ratio of brown to green items.

In some compost systems, you might layer brown and green items, while in others, you will maintain a ratio of brown and greens matter throughout. The compost recipe is vital if you plan to compost in your backyard. (You’ll learn more about participating in curbside composting in the next section).

The image “A Compost Recipe to Feed Your Soil” shows one recommendation.

A Compost Recipe to Feed Your Soil: Mix up all the ingredients maintaining the brown to the green recipe. Keep the pile as moist as a wrung-out sponge. Aerate the pile to speed up decomposition throughout the entire composting process. Keep the compost covered with a lid, cardboard, or canvas.

Back Yard composting. Mountain Alliance. (2022). Retrieved March 22, 2022, from https://www.mtalliance.org/organics/back-yard-composting/