Micro-Organisms Most organic gardening stores carry boxed dormant microorganisms. Dig down a layer or two, and sprinkle some of the dry mix into the damp center of the pile, in several different places. If you put it on top, be sure to water it in as it won’t become active until damp.

Ants, beetles, centipedes, “composting” worms, flies, millipedes, slugs, snails, spiders, and. woodlice (sow bugs) are all in this group and can be easily seen by the naked eye. These creatures make up the third level of decomposers who work to produce compost.

Organic Material Decomposition. The macro-organisms you can see in or around your compost pile, such as mites, centipedes, sow bugs, snails, beetles, ants and earthworms, are physical decomposers; they grind, tear, and chew materials into smaller pieces.

The composting process. The composting process involves four main components: organic matter, moisture, oxygen, and bacteria. Organic matter includes plant materials and some animal manures.

Composting helps keep vegetable matter out of landfills. This airless environment causes the plant matter, as it decays, to produce methane gas. This potent greenhouse gas is 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Consequently, composting helps minimize landfills’ contribution to climate change.

Composting is worth the effort to produce your own nutrient-rich soil amendment. You can choose to take an active or passive approach and save money on soil for your yard, garden, or flower beds. At the same time, you can reduce the amount of material being sent to landfills.

I make my own compost, but have been told I should avoid citrus fruits because they make the compost too acidic and the worms hate this. The acidity will not last long once you have spread the resulting compost on soil.

Citrus fruit, tomato products and pickled food products can do harm to your compost. High acidity can actually kill the good bacteria that helps break down the material in your compost pile.

Now that you know it is perfectly safe to compost citrus, you no longer have to toss those orange peels or lemon scraps into the trash that ends up at the landfill. Yes, citrus indeed takes more time and care to breakdown within your compost pile than other fruits or vegetables.

Coffee grounds improve soil tilth or structure. Coffee grounds are an excellent nitrogen source for composting. They have a C/N ratio of 20-to-1.