Googling "compost ingredients" will give you many options.

In reality "green" and "brown" are relative. All organic matter will have both N and C, the difference being their relative C:N ratio. High C:N ratios might be 80:1 or even higher, (like 200 or 300:1) - these are referred to as "browns", and include fall leaves, sawdust, wood, straw, etc.

"Greens" have a low C:N ratio, they are high in N. These include coffee grounds, grass clippings, fruit and veggie scraps, etc.

Generally a C:N ratio lower than 30:1 is a strong green, once it gets to 80:1, that's pretty "brown". But an ideal mix of the 2 for composting is 30:1.

I realize that this sounds confusing, but once you get the gist of it, it really isn't. It's just not easy to explain in 1 or 2 sentences. If you pile up a mix of high C:N ratio stuff with low C:N ratio stuff, it will rot eventually. The biggest difference will be the quality of the finished product and the time it takes to rot.

I strongly suggest you visit and explore the soil and compost forum, there is a wealth of information there.

Karen

I have to agree with Karen - Do visit the Soil and Compost Forum and read, read, read. Ask questions too.

If you want more greens in the form of UCGs (used coffee grounds) you might want to check-out a coffee shop that may supply you with them. I get mine from a gas station that sells an unbelievable amount of coffee. I can collect 250+ lbs. of UCGs from them in the course of a week and I'll dump it all in a lasagna bed, filters included, or use it for my compost. Starbucks also has a corporate 'Grounds for Gardens' program whereby they give their UCGs our for your gardens, so if you have one near you, you may want to explore that avenue.

Greens which are high in nitrogen are hard to find naturally at this time of year. Composted cow manure or blood meal which you would have to buy are great and both high in nitrogen. Don't worry about the ingredients breaking down because they will do that in their own time. You plant in the bed anyway. The nirtogen is necessary for the decomposition and also to feed your plants. The book "Lasagna Gardening" by PAt Lanza is available at your library or at Amazon. I highly recommend it. She will answer all your questions.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lasagna Gardening

Got this link from the soil and compost forum, it's more than most of us care to need or know but it helps if you want to understand the brown to green ratios.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Carbon/Nitrogen Ratio

Or expressed as C:N ratios

Karen

Here is a link that might be useful: C:N ratios

I second (third?) the advice to visit the Soil, Mulch, & Compost forum. What a great place! Lots of info. I don't post a whole lot there but boy do I read a whole lot!

I also second the recommendation for cow manure. When I'm short of greens I'll spread a layer of bagged composted cow manure over everything as a green layer.

Last year while doing a huge lasagna bed I collected coffee grounds from a local coffee shop. Yes, they thought I was a bit odd, but was glad to hear from one teenager who worked there that her aunt collected dog hair from a grooming place for her pile, so she knew exactly what I was up to, lol!

I almost worked up the nerve just yesterday to ask for the spoiled produce at my local supermarket, but chickened out. It wasn't the usual manager. When I see him, I'll ask. He's already given me a bag of corn husks last summer so he shouldn't be too weirded out, lol!

Good luck!
:)
Dee

I collect UCG's from the convenience mart that is about a mile down the street. They were willing to fill 5 gallon buckets for me. I swap out 2 5-gallon buckets each week (they create more, but once a week works for me in the winter).

We've been pummeled with snow this winter. Literally I've seen the ground/garden beds a total of 6 days the whole winter. Because I have no idea where exactly the lasagne beds are, I am just piling the UCGs in a big pile.

I took this picture 2 days ago, after we had some rain earlier in the week and it washed away about half the snow cover. You can see my pile of UCG's, bags of leaves collected last fall (30-something), and one of the cardboard piles behind that. The wood is leftover from tree removal in November.

Yesterday we got another 10 inches of snow! You can't see anything out there now...

{{gwi:267191}}

This is my heavenly pile about to get some yum-yums!

{{gwi:262030}}

Hey all,
Thanks so much for answering my question, and it makes a lot more sense now. I don't know why I didn't think about looking up a soil and compost forum but it really didn't occur to me that there would be something like that. I guess I'll have to check into that. Also, thanks for the links and the pictures. I loved those pictures! I guess I won't worry so much about exactly alternating piles like when you make lasagna, as long as the proportions are there eventually. I know it would be to my benefit (the plants really) to at least try to include enough of both brown and green at some point. I figure mowing will start in late April here and since our yard it fairly big, it would probably only take one mowing to get enough green. I just have to do a lot of push mowing because that's our only mower with a bagger. That's actually how I collected my leaves in the fall and then put them in the beds for mulch and also put a lot in garbage bags for use this year. Oh, and btw, thanks also for the idea of getting coffee grounds from a store. I happen to have a convenience store not real far from me. I guess I'll have to dig up a 5-gallon bucket around here somewhere and take it down in case they're willing to save the UCG's for me. I've learned so much from this thread and now I'm off to do some more reading! :)
amb

amb,

To make it easy on you, I"ll post a link to the S&C Forum.

So glad you mentioned the push mower. I've been thinking of getting one and convincing DH that it's the way to go. We do have a lot of lawn, but the thought of being able to get the leaves off in the fall with a push type is ideal! I raise Monarchs and I don't like using the gas mower and because of the size of our lawns, an electric one is out of the question. Personally, I also like the idea of no gas, and not having to painfully try to start the #%?!! thing.

I will offer a bit of advice in terms of picking up your UCGs from a convenience store or similar. Provide clean buckets and pick-up when you've committed to do so. If you can't, then call them up to let them know when you can.

I was willing to share my pick-ups with someone else, but soon discovered that the other person wasn't being timely and sometimes gave them dirty buckets. I haven't done any composting this winter so dropped by to see how things were going and the staff asked when I would be starting again. They want me back!! :O) They were happy to hear that I'll be starting the ritual in March. I'm happy I didn't lose them as a great source of greens. I also get tons of banana peels from them.

Have fun!!

Here is a link that might be useful: S&C Forum

Tiffy just posts pictures of her compost to make us all jealous.

Karen

It works.....

LOL, every time I scroll by that photo I hear a choir sing....!!

:)
Dee

Dee: Do the dog rear ends fit into the singing choir image?

amberbutterfly: Start mowing even earlier than necessary. First mowing will probably give you pre-mixed grass and dead leaves (i.e. green-brown mix). And if you use a lot off grass and those bagged leaves you have a great start.

Karen

i have a lasagna garden that i started late last summer. i probably only did 3 layers of cardboard, leaves, leftover food then repeat. in the early winter when the leaves finally fell i started over. evertime i accumulated enough food scraps, i did another layer. i did manage to get some coffee grounds into one of the layers. so there is a total of 6 layers out there now even though it looks like one with the shrinkage.

Lol, Tiffy, I didn't even notice them! My eyes go right to that shaft of heavenly light, lol!

Dee, I figured the heavenly rays would draw some cute comments!! :O) Not sure where the dog butts fit into the picture... pardon the pun.

After the snow melts completely, this area becomes filled with winter sown containers which have to exit the deck. It's a great place because of the dappled shade.

Oh, and Karen, something makes me think you have an equally envious place somewhere around your home since you are filled with great knowledge. I always learn a thing or two from your responses.

As for you, Rich, I KNOW you have a stash of good stuff. Massachussetts isn't that far away! :O) I can smell good compost from a great distance.

If only everyone in life were as nice and helpful as people on this forum. I enjoy it here so much! =)
tiffy, Thanks, your link makes it easy. I didn't get much reading done yet because today was my cleaning the house day. With all of my ws stuff sitting in the kitchen, it makes it kind of hard to clean! :O Maybe I should have said self-propelled mower, but I call our mower a push mower because it's not a riding mower. I guess "walk-behind mower" would be even better to call ours. We have a riding mower but nothing to bag leaves with it.
Btw, I also raise Monarchs. It's fun, eh? I would also like to raise other kinds of butterflies too to release them here at the house.
I will follow your advice about the coffee grounds. I just hope I can get them to save them for me. I can imagine I'll get some weird looks. Ha. That's great that the place you got your UCG's from before will save them for you again. I figure it saves them from paying to throw them away, keeps them out of the landfill, and also helps our soil and plants.

Karen, Yes, I think you're right. I know I am jealous! ;-) Oh, and mowing earlier sounds good to me. I would like to plant the lasagna garden in probably June when I'm done planting my other beds that are already ready to go.

Mokey, Your method sounds good to me. I figure I'll just throw on whatever I have at the time and hope it all works out in the end. I'd rather just dump my scraps there right away rather than put them in another location first and have to move everything later. Anything to save on my back is the way I go.