Last Spring I volunteered to do a series of spot illustrations for 'Rooftops Montreal' which exists under the umbrella organization called 'Alternatives'. The project was to create a number of free, instructive, illustrated pages on various topics to do with gardening for beginners. It ranged from what tools to use to how to plant seeds, to specific plant care to what to put in your compost. I believe there were going to be ten sheets in all. Alternatives interns, who were also Horticulture students, came up with the concepts and text for the sheets (all in French), and I provided the artwork. A few of the sheets (or, "fiches horticoles") were made, but the project has either been scrapped or put on hold for the time being. You can see a few of them
here.
Just for fun, and also to make something I know I will use, I decided to put together two sheets - using some of the illustrations I made for that above mentioned project - on what to put in your compost, and what NOT to put in your compost!
Of course these are very very basic...composting really is a science and there is so much one can know about it if one were so inclined to "dig in" to the subject, so to speak :)
Briefly:
Essentially compost is made up of organic matter that breaks down into a fertile substance which can be added to soil to greatly improve plant health and growth. Organic matter which is good for making compost is classified, generally, as being either "brown" or "green".
Green compostables are sources of organic nitrogen, because they are things which are high in nitrogen or protein to begin with. Greens decompose quickly, producing heat and generally speeding up the compost breakdown.
Brown compost items are classified as organic materials that are high in carbon, or carbohydrates, and when they break down become a source of organic carbon. The carbon-giving materials keep the nitrogen from the green matter from evaporating or leaching away, and also absorb the mal-odours produced by the green matter. Browns are the main source of energy and food for most soil organisms, and are essential for making good humus.
As I've said in my little chart, you want a ratio of about 25 - 30 parts brown/ carbon to one part green/ nitrogen. You can see in the "What to Put in Your Compost" sheet what is what by the colored dot beside each item.
You can tell which is which (if you're not sure) by putting some water on the item/ matter in question, and if, in a few days, that item has begun to reek, you can assume it is a "green". If not, then it is a "brown".
Anyway, I just kind of threw these together as a fun little experiment...the digital type and lines are not ideal, but what the "hay" I'm sure they will come in useful, and can always be revisited!
