Depends on the time of year. In fall, browns are everywhere aka leaves. In summer greens are everywhere. I use shredded cardboard and paper for browns in summer, and plenty of scrap fruit and coffee grounds in winter. Here in the north, our compost piles freeze, so the greens just accumulate in winter. I don't worry about the ratio too much. If it stinks I add more shredded paper or cardboard, and if it is not hot I add more coffee grounds or food scraps.

Lee

If you live where there are lots of deciduous trees stockpiling leaves is not a problem and they will then be available during the times when you have ample quantities of "greens". Compost piles that freeze are too wet.

I find that browns are toughest to come by, but have found a nice source of sawdust and use plenty of peanut shells.

I just figured to ask as this time of yr its hard for me to get good browns.I'm up to my neck in greens as I collect UCG from 2 places (200lb/wk). I also have co-workers saving their UCG,and rind/skins.A few people who home brew beer&ale give me their "mash". If you have friends who do this, BEG them for the mash, its the hottest green that i know of.
Spring makes it tight for browns.Coffee filters,newspaper,cardboard,and limited sawdust round that out until the leaves come in abundance in Fall.Guess I could use the fallen leaves on the forest floor if I wanted to clear the snow off of them first, lol.

What we do is put landscape cloth down over some beds that we mulch heavily in winter. Then pile these beds with lots of shredded leaves easy to get in fall. In Spring we just pick up the ends of the landscape cloth and bundle them up full of leaves that we then use with grass clippings once the mowing begins.

Just a note: when picking up leaves in spring that have been used for winter cover we always leave openings in the picked up landscape cloth. The same reason that plastic bags of leaves should be left open and not tied up for a day or two. This allows the lady bugs to make their way to the top and either crawl or fly out. If you have lots of lady bugs then clear leaf bags let you see them and you can give a few ladybugs a helping hand.

I used to have the same problem until I learned from this forum about collecting and stockpiling other people's leaves in the fall. This fall, just ask your friends and neighbors to give you theirs. They are more than happy to help. I store them in big plastic bags until needed about early summer when I've used up all my own that were outside all winter in 2 of my pallet bins.

Quote:In fall, browns are everywhere aka leaves. In summer greens are everywhere.

Where to the summer greens go? Come fall do they pack up and go to Scottsdale?

With exposure they turn brown, unfortunately. Of course- everyone that I know that's gone to Scottsdale ended up brown anyway (I just turn red).

I always have more browns (leaves). I mulch grass in place. Coffee grounds, bunny poop, and kitchen scraps make up 90% of my greens. Extra leaves get stockpiled for mulch, or just shredded and put on beds in the fall as a blankie for the worms.

I just started composting and was struggling with where to get browns. Until I mentioned it to the tree man who then left a too large pile in front of the garage. If you're anywhere close to NJ let me know - I would be happy to part with some wood chips.