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Maintaining your compost system

Compost tutorial

Maintaining your compost bin is as simple as following ADAM

The ADAM principle
Adam stands for:
  • Aliveness
  • Diversity
  • Air, and 
  • Moisture.
These are the 4 essential ingredients (along with organic matter) to have a successful compost. 

A - Aliveness
Compost is a living system, full of millions of bacteria and insects. It is the bacteria that work on breaking down your organic materials. Keeping the conditions right for these critters is the key to a successful compost system.

D - Diversity
Like us and our diet, a compost system also needs a diverse ‘diet’. This is twofold – firstly to operate effectively, and secondly, so that the end product is balanced with a range of vitamins and minerals. 

We group ingredients into two categories for simplicity. The two groups are ‘browns’ and ‘greens’. 
‘Green’ ingredients and often (but not always) green in colour, but are generally items containing a high amount of moisture, whereas ‘browns’ tend to be dry, and are often (but not always) brown in colour. There is a ‘recipe’ for success based on layering these ingredients to manage air and moisture. 

This is covered in more detail in the next tutorial “Feeding your compost”.

A - Air
Like us, creatures in compost need to breathe, and without air, a compost system will rot rather than be eaten by critters. A rotting compost not only smells, but created methane gas, which is 21 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
The good bacteria in a healthy compost system are called aerobic bacteria, meaning they need air to survive and do their job, while the ‘bad’ bacteria in an unhealthy, rotting compost is called aerobic bacteria. 

See the tutorial on compost maintenance for some tips and tricks to keep your compost oxygenated and healthy. 

M - Moisture
The moisture content of your compost should be that of a wrung out sponge. Too wet and the compost will become anaerobic and smelly. Too dry and it will come to a grinding halt. Balancing the moisture content will depend on the right mix of wet and dry ingredients. Depending on the location of your compost system, you may need to add extra brown (dry) ingredients to balance out ‘wetness’ or extra green (wet) ingredients to overcome dryness.


Composting weeds

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​
​Compost Community is a program by Chooktopia in partnership with local councils.
Phone 03 97766559 9am-5pm Mon-Fri or 0418 879 667 11am-7pm Mon-Fri; SMS other times 
​
1195 Westernport Hwy Langwarrin 3910 by appointment. 

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  • Home
    • Join
  • Order
    • Hume
    • Knox
    • Maribyrnong
    • Moreland
    • Mornington Peninsula
    • Everywhere else >
      • Rest of Victoria >
        • All Victoria
        • Baw Baw Rebates
        • Casey rebates
        • Cardinia rebates
        • Whitehorse Rebates
        • Yarra Ranges Rebates
      • Rest of Australia
  • Learn
    • Food Waste
    • Choosing a compost system
    • Worm farming >
      • Guide to Worm Farming
      • Fun facts
      • Surviving Heat Waves
    • Composting >
      • Introduction to Composting
      • Feeding your compost
      • Compost Maintenance
      • Harvesting and using Compost
      • Troubleshooting Compost Problems
      • Composting FAQs
    • Bokashi
    • Chooks
    • Pet poo
    • Troubleshooting
  • Toolbox
    • FAQs
    • Community >
      • Compost hotspots
      • Chat
      • Sharewaste
      • Community gardens
    • Downloads >
      • Kids' activities
    • Videos
    • Blog
    • Back to Earth
  • About us
    • How it works
    • Terms and Policies
    • Our Products >
      • Our Worm Farms
      • Our Bokashi bins
      • Our Compost bins >
        • Tumblers
        • Compost bins
      • Our Accessories
    • Councils
    • Contact us