tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7167845891691574884.post1887612219038785660..comments2014-12-12T01:56:24.308-05:00Comments on Would I eat it again? Food Diversity: CompostDavid Garnerhttps://plus.google.com/112630793011391257501noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7167845891691574884.post-17865167985283869782011-02-23T06:45:52.560-05:002011-02-23T06:45:52.560-05:00leahkathlyn, Here are a few suggestions some don&...leahkathlyn,<br /><br />Here are a few suggestions some don&#39;t have to be purchased and some do. Leaves, help a friend or neighbor rake leaves in exchange for leaves. If your landscaper has leaves from other property ask that he bring you some. <br />Most cities will let you pick up yard waste from the city dumpsite, they are usually free or only a small fee. There is also wood chips at these sites from limbs and trees that people discard. They break down more slowly than leaves and grass in a compost pile, but they are carbon rich if you have too much nitrogen compost in your pile. They are also an inexpensive mulch for flower beds and shrubs. It is the same thing that you pat $10 a bag for, but it does not have the dye to make it red or black. <br /> If you need more compost or fertilizer go to a local horse farm and ask for manure. Green manure, fresh, is a good fertilizer and many farms have piles that have been there for years and is already composted, no smell other than that of rich black dirt.<br />Another free farm option is spoiled hay. This is hay that has gotten wet or moldy and can not be fed to livestock. Many times if a farm has some they will be happy to have you haul it away. <br />While it does cost money, Peat moss is an organic brown that you can add to your compost pile. <br />Sawdust, never from treated wood, can be picked up for free from many sawmills, cabinet shops, or furniture manufacturers. <br />Straw, bales made from the leftover stalks of grains, are usually $3-5 per bale, and a great source of carbon if you have too much nitrogen in your compost pile.David Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01853804193789751896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7167845891691574884.post-88188337366475741622011-02-22T22:32:51.921-05:002011-02-22T22:32:51.921-05:00I have the opposite problem. Our compost pile has ...I have the opposite problem. Our compost pile has a continual shortage of brown matter so it&#39;s basically just a pile of rotting garbage. (We have it in a homemade bin so at least the neighbors don&#39;t complain.)leahkathlynhttp://leahkathlyn.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.com