{"id":465,"date":"2025-10-20T11:53:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T15:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/?p=465"},"modified":"2025-10-10T11:54:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T15:54:09","slug":"fall-composting-made-easy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/2025\/10\/fall-composting-made-easy\/","title":{"rendered":"Fall Composting Made Easy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Whether you\u2019re a seasoned composter or just starting out, fall is the perfect time to build a nutrient-rich pile from your garden cleanup. In Fall specifically, you are probably cleaning up your gardens from summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Browns (carbon-rich) provide structure and absorb excess moisture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Fallen Leaves\u2014leaves are great to leave in yard, but if you have a ton, add some to compost.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Shredded paper or cardboard<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dry, spent stalks like corn stalks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Wood chips<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Greens (nitrogen-rich) add nutrients and help the pile heat up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Vegetable and fruit scraps (peels, cores, and even rotten pieces are fine)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Coffee grounds and tea bags<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Grass Clippings (add in thin layers)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Healthy, non-diseased annuals from garden beds<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Important Tips for fall composting:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Avoid diseased plants:<\/strong> Do not add plants that have disease or pest problems, as they can survive in the compost pile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Shred Materials:<\/strong> Breaking down leaves and other large materials will speed up the decomposition process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Layer carefully:<\/strong>&nbsp; Alternate layers of \u201cbrown\u201d and \u201cgreen\u201d materials to prevent the pile from matting.&nbsp; Aim for a good balance, especially when adding large amounts of leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Keep it Moist:<\/strong> The pile should be damp like a wrung-out sponge, but not waterlogged, especially with rain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Cover Your pile:<\/strong> Protect your compost from the elements to keep it at the right moisture level and deter pests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Insulate for winter:<\/strong> If your compost pile is exposed to cold, use a layer of leaves or straw on top to help insulate it and keep the microbes active.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With these fall-friendly additions and tips, you\u2019ll set yourself up for rich, crumbly compost to use in spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The author of this article, Jeanette Huntington is a Paulding UGA Extension Master Gardener, trained to provide education for homeowners on horticulture, sustainable landscaping, and environmentally friendly gardening practices using unbiased, research-based information from the University of Georgia.&nbsp; For more information, contact Paulding County UGA Extension at 770-443-7616 or view our online resources at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ugaextension.org\/paulding\">www.ugaextension.org\/paulding<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whether you\u2019re a seasoned composter or just starting out, fall is the perfect time to build a nutrient-rich pile from your garden cleanup. In Fall specifically, you are probably cleaning up your gardens from summer. Browns (carbon-rich) provide structure and absorb excess moisture. Greens (nitrogen-rich) add nutrients and help the pile heat up. Important Tips [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":310,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[152,105,86],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-compost","category-georgia-green-landscape-stewards","category-water-conservation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/310"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=465"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":466,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465\/revisions\/466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}