Compost -- Make a Wood Turner Your Friend:

C is best made with a formula of gn br al mixed at equal volumes. This usuy gives a carbon to nitrogen ratio that ows for g decosition lots of heat to be generd. Gn al is usuy quick to h, especly during the heavy growing season. Weeds, pea pods, spent plants, grass clippi, kitchen waste from the gen bounty supply gn al. Br al such as dried grasses leaves are not that easy to e by however, during the gen season.

W turners have a different problem. They gener huge quantities of w vi. Roughing out a few salad bowls will fill a couple of garbage bags with vi in no time. This is a unique form of br ter, depending on the w being used. Wet vi from poplar birch will break d quickly on their while the al from dried w will take much longer regless of the t types. All of them will work well in c. Unlike sawdust the size of the vi prevents cacting ows for geed aeration of the pile with each turning. Some turners will have aging piles of vi that have already begun to break d.

There are a few thi to avoid. Eucalyptus ts of some varieties have oils that make them h to c. Ts of the walnut family in particular will produce a hormone like substance that will bat the growth of plants not of the walnut family. Hot cing will usuy break this d to a harmless al. While it is unlikely that any w turner would work with them, avoid the ws, leaves or vines from poison ivy, poison sumac, or poison oak.

With those cautions in mind, w turners are usuy happy to see the vi go. You can use them for mulch but they make great c. Mix them with the gn al at a one to one ratio by volume you should be fine. They will darken by the first turning will be h to distinguish after the second. Caution is often given about using w vi in the gen as they can "steal" nitrogen from the soil. This is not true of c made from vi. The finished c usuy has a balance N-P-K (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) ratio of 1 -1 - 1, regless of the starting als.

A couple of tooes now then should ensure a supply of vi for a long time to e.