Compost Bin: Set up, Maintenance, and the proper things to add to the pile.

Building Healthy Soil - a great Trailer for a Great Movie - "Dirt the Movie".

Food 4 Wealth - Jonathan White's all about Dirt.

Garden Bin - it is said that 1/3 of a Families waste could be composted.

A compost bin is a great way to have nutrient rich organic fertilizer on hand for free. A great thing when greenhouse gardening.

Compost is a nutrient rich soil that is produced using your everyday kitchen scraps that would normally make it's way into our land fills.

We spent some time on the weekend setting up a compost bin, I got it a while ago and stored it away because I had my heart set on a tumble composter. Anyways I got over it and made it a project.

We added the soil from some of the self watering containers - build your own plans that we were using to grow some vegetables last season.

We now keep a scrap container under the sink and have been constantly adding to it. It is estimated that nearly 1/3 of household waste can actually be composted.

No one makes a case for composting better than Jonathan White of Food4Wealthbonus.com - take a look at the Food 4 Wealth - review here. It is a great method for growing.

Some people shy away from composting because it is not simplified, and is made out to be a science. All it is, is organic items decomposing. Mother nature takes care of that, and it is difficult for any of us to screw that up.

All that we have to do is help it out with a few things. We have to make sure that it is well ventilated,that a 1:1 mixture ratio is added of greens and browns (see below). And make sure that the mix is moist while it decomposes.

If you would like to have a better relationship or understanding of "dirt", we highly suggest checking out the movie Dirt the movie - See the Trailer here

Moisture Level: an easy judge of moisture is that the mix should feel like a wrung out sponge. Keep it simple - no need for a moisture meter necessarily. Unless you like those type of gadgets, and they fit the budget.

Here are some of the "Green" materials that can be added to the compost bin:

• fruit and vegetable peelings and leftovers
• coffee grounds
• egg shells
• garden waste (fresh/green)
• tea leaves and bags
• fresh lawn clippings (just don't overdue it)
• Worms for worm composting (although not a green waste they will help with the decomposition.)

Green waste materials provide moisture for your compost and are rich in nitrogen, and are quick to rot.They increase the temperature of the compost mix.

Here are some of the "Brown" materials that can be added to the compost bin:

• dried grass clippings
• dried leaves
• torn strips of newspaper
• straw
• clothes dryer lint
• cardboard egg boxes
• wood chips and shavings

"Brown" waste materials decompose slowly, and create air pockets in the compost helping with ventilation.They soak up excess moisture and create a balance from the green waste. They are also rich in Carbon.

These are a few things that should be avoided:

• dog or cat feces
• grain products
• cooked food scraps (including fruits and vegetables
• anything treated with pesticides or other chemicals
• dairy products
• meat, bones, greasy foods, oils, and fats (they attract animals and are not good for the compost)
• diseased plants - although some may argue that the temperatures that the compost will reachwill kill any of these diseases.
• BBQ ashes