Green Johanna

A handbook on the art of composting

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Index:Recycling society...................................................................................................................3

This is GREEN JOHANNA................................................................................................4

Why make compost? ...........................................................................................................6

Start at the kitchen sink ......................................................................................................7

This is how you do it ...........................................................................................................8

What do you need for composting to be successful? ...............................................10

The creatures in your compost ......................................................................................12

Problems and remedies ....................................................................................................14

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Food waste and garden rubbish don't disappearjust because we've thrown them away. Too often,they are piled in with general plastics and otherhousehold detritus and condemned to becomelandfill or to be incinerated. But rules aregradually being introduced to encourage everyoneto pay more attention to exactly what they arethrowing away, and to consider the practicalalternatives that are available.

So whether you need to comply with rules, orsimply because it is fun and economical, it's a goodidea to learn how to compost.

Organic waste breaks down naturally. Plantsabsorb nutrients, grow, die and decay ... thuscreating new nutrients. Properly managed, morethan half of the mountain of domestic and gardenwaste could be dealt with in this way.

Composting not only reduces the amount ofwaste in the rubbish bin, it also lowers the cost ofrubbish collection. Important nutrients arereturned to the soil and expensive artificialfertilisers become redundant. Most important,composting does the rest of the world a greatservice by reducing the waste mountain.

Creating a recycling society

Whenassembling the GREEN JOHANNAthe arrows on each sectionof the bin must be kept inline.

Sliding doors on the front and rear

make it easy for youto inspect theongoing processand to remove the

compost when it’sready. The simplest

way to remove thecompost is to rake itout with the stirringstick.

The base plateenables both good ventilation

as well as allowing worms toenter. The holes in the base plate

have a diameter of 4.5 mm, whichmeans that mice and rats cannotpenetrate the composter. Fourinward-facing air vents lead in fromthe base plate, allowing air to flowupwards into the container.

The round shapeensures that there will be no cold cornersand that the heat is spread more evenlythrough the compost.

The cone-shaped design ensures that the compost does not stickto the sides and instead sinks down

towards the centre. This enablesair to circulate,

oxygenating thecompost.

The lid closes around the container’s ventilationsystem. The vents are holes with adiameter of 4.5 mm. Simply byturning the lid, even when itis locked, it is easy toregulate air circulationand the temperaturedepending on theseason.

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This is Green JohannaGREEN JOHANNA is a unique closed, hot composting container, designed in Sweden. GREEN JOHANNA provides good ventilation, is easy to empty, and is available with an insulatingwinter jacket which allows successful composting throughout the year.

The winter jacketis made of foam polyethylene. The winter jacketshould be fitted when the average outdoortemperature consistently falls below 5°C, andremoved when the temperature is constantlyabove 10°C. It is essential that the winter jacket isremovable during the process, or otherwise thecompost will overheat (rather than burn), inwhich event the micro-organisms die and theprocess is halted.

The stirring stickis an accessory which helps you aerate thecompost effectively. It is made of wood and hastwo movable metal blades at one end. It is also anideal tool for removing the final compost.Do not aerate deeper than 10-15 cm otherwiseyou will disturb the ongoing process.

WarrantyGreen Johanna helps you make a successfulcompost. You will find a a detailed description ofmaking compost in the handbook.

5 years warranty.

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The waste mountain is a major problem, yet morethan half of our rubbish is biodegradable and canbe composted. The nutrients that we take fromthe earth are now primarily replaced with artificialfertilisers which are expensive to manufacture. Natural nutrients, which are free and can be foundin our rubbish bins, currently lie on a wastemountain which is becoming ever larger and moreimpossible to control.

But despite all the gloomy figures about howmuch we waste and throw away (320 kg ofrubbish per person per year), the future is lookingbrighter. More and more people are starting tomake compost, and finding meaning and happinessin turning their rubbish into nutrious compost.We are beginning to participate in Nature’s cycleand are becoming conscious about what we buy,use and throw away.

Why make compost?

Suitable for composting

Other wasteplastics, combustibles,other non-combustibles

Recyclablepaper, glass, sheetmetal, textiles

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This is where you must begin separating the glass,plastic and metal from the material which can becomposted. Simply add another bin in yourkitchen and seperate the waste that can becomposted from that which cannot.

All food waste can be composted: vegetables,fruit, dairy products, bread, meat, bones, fishremains, soup and egg shells. Coffee filters, coffee

grounds, tea bags, household paper, egg cartons,wilted flowers and pot plants can also be added tothe compost.

Grass clippings, leaves, twigs, weeds, bark, etc. canalso be composted. It is recommended to cut thewaste into small pieces, as this gives the micro-organisms more surface area to work on,producing compost more quickly!

Start at the kitchen sink

1. Where should it stand?Stand the container level on earth or grass in ashady corner of the garden. The container shouldbe in as sheltered a location as possible and nottoo far from the house.

2. How do you start?Cover the whole base plate with a loose layer oftwigs and other coarse garden material to a depthof 10-20 cm. This should be covered with a layerof fine garden waste, followed by mature compostor soil. You can now begin to add your householdwaste. In the winter, you follow the same process,ideally adding one or two bucketfuls of compostfrom an ongoing composting process.

3. The importance of layeringIt is important to layer garden and householdwaste properly. The best combination is one partgarden waste (or soil, wood shavings, sawdust) totwo parts kitchen scraps. Layers of one substanceshould never be too thick. Don’t forget to scatterand chop the material as finely as possible, as thishelps to speed up the process.

4. AeratingMix and aerate the uppermost layer of thecompost every time you add new material. Thisensures that the micro-organisms, which live andwork in the compost, are able to do their jobsuccessfully. Once in a while, it is necessary toaerate the compost deeper down. This is done bycarefully moving the stirring stick up and down inthe compost.

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This is how you do it.

5. Covering new waste.Always cover the new household waste withgarden litter. It is to your advantage to make yourown good litter from hedge clippings, trimmingsfrom bushes and trees and other garden waste, byusing a shredding machine where appropriate.This is the best litter for your GREEN JOHANNAand during the autumn, you should save gardenwaste to use in winter.

6. When is it ready and how do youempty it out?Depending on the conditions the compost will beready after four to six months. It looks and feelslike soil, smells good, is pleasant to the touch andcrumbles readily. The easiest way to empty yourGREEN JOHANNA is to remove the compostedmaterial through the two doors at the base. Thatway, you’ll only get mature compost, and you’llavoid having to sort and start the process overagain. It’s even better if you have two or moreJOHANNAS, as you’ll be able to let the compostin one mature fully while you continue adding tothe other. Try to organise your compostingprocess, so that you have humus ready in time forspring, when you need the nutrients for yourplants.

7. Where do you put the maturecompost?

The mature compost, which has become humus,can be spread on the earth all year round (e.g.around trees, bushes and on vegetable patches).

The compost can be dug in, but if the mulch is notready, the decomposition process will continueand steal the oxygen from the plants. In theautumn, however, half-ready compost is ideal fordigging in to the earth. You can also let thecompost lie and mature in a simple container or ina covered heap if you do not need it straight away.

8. There is no better compost thanhome-made compost.

No soil is as nutritious and of such high quality asthat which comes from a hot composter whichcontains both garden and household waste. Thecompost produced in GREEN JOHANNA is a richnutrient supplement for your garden.

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What do you nesuccessful?AirOxygen in the compost is necessary for themillions of micro-organisms to be able to carryon their work. A lack of oxygen can cause thecompost to smell bad, and cause the breakingdown process to take longer. Add the compostmaterial loosely so that oxygen is availablethroughout.

WaterWithout water, the composting process cannotbegin, although subsequent watering is notusually necessary since both household andgarden waste contain moisture. The compostshould be as damp as a squeezed bath sponge.

HeatAs the micro-organisms break down the waste,heat is released. Temperature changes in thecompost are controlled by the micro-organismsthemselves and are important for thecomposting process. Different organisms workat different temperatures.

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ed for composting to be

Fresh sawdust

Wood shavings

Paper

Wood chips

Dry Leaves

Bark

Straw

Leaves

Fruit

Carrots

Potatoes

Mixed food

Grass mowings

Meat and Fish

Balanced amount of carbon andnitrogen

Micro-organisms require nutrition in theform of carbon and nitrogen to be able towork. Your compost should have a goodcarbon/nitrogen balance. For this reason,you should mix garden waste with thehousehold waste. A good balance would beone part carbon-rich material (gardenwaste) to two parts nitrogen-rich material(household waste).

CARBON

NITROGEN

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The creatures in your compostFor successfull compost production, you need heat – but not too much. GREEN JOHANNA´s designmakes it easy to regulate the temprature of the compost. This means that the compost does not dryout so easily, or become too warm for the worms, insects and micro-organisms to carry on theirimportant work.

False-scorpionA carnivore, has glands in its front claws andlives on nematodes, worms and larvae.

Wood-louseFeeds on decayed material in the compost.Its delicate, gill-like breathing organs requiremoisture.

WormEats decaying vegetable and animal matter.Worm paths aerate the compost.

MiteThe mite is smaller than a grain of sand. Leaves,rotten wood and old flowers are all part of itsdiet.

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EarwigA nocturnal creature which avoids daylight.Some are carnivores while others eat almostanything.

CentipedeA vegetarian which lives on decaying plant material.

NematodeLives on decaying plants, bacteria and fungi. Onehandful of compost can contain several millionnematodes, invisible to the naked eye.

SpringtailAs many as 100 million can be found in one cubicmetre of compost! The springtail gets its name fromthe “jumping fork” under its stomach, which it uses tolaunch itself into the air. Springtails eat most compostmaterial.

These are only a few examples of what kind of creatures that live and work in a GREEN JOHANNA.

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Flies in the compost.Cause: Insufficiently covered, nitrogen-richcompost.Remedy: Stir the surface layer of the compost andcover with garden litter or earth.

Ants in the compost.Cause: Compost too dryRemedy: Carefully water the compost and stir –the compost should be as damp as a squeezedbath sponge.

The compost smells of ammonia orstable.Cause: Too much nitrogen-rich waste, e.g. freshgrass clippings or animal/fish offal.Remedy: Add carbon-rich material and mix in.Then cover with more material, such as half-composted mulch from lower down.

The compost smells rotten or like arubbish bin

Cause: The compost is too compact or poorlyaerated

Remedy: Add coarse garden litter and stir properlyso that the compost is thoroughly aerated. Thesmell may also mean that the compost is too wet,and therefore poorly aerated. If this is the case,you should mix in covering material with goodabsorbent qualities, e.g. sawdust.

Activity in the compost has stopped.Cause 1: Compost may have been fed too muchcarbon-rich material, e.g. dry leaves, choppedtwigs and sawdust.

Remedy: Add nitrogen-rich material that isn´t toocourse, e.g. fresh grass mowings, or kitchen scrapsand mix in.

Cause 2: Compost contains material that is toocoarse, such as twigs, so it becomes too airy anddry.Remedy: Remove this material and either discard itor chop more finely and re-mix in thoroughly.

Cause 3: There is too little material in thecompost for the micro-organisms to work on. Remedy: Add more material of the correctcomposition – remember the carbon/nitrogenbalance.

Cause 4: The compost is too compact, the airdoesn’t get in.Remedy: Stir properly and, if necessery, add coarsegarden litter.

Cause 5: The compost is to dry.Remedy: Carefully water the compost and stir –the compost should be as damp as a squeezedbath sponge.

Cause 6: The compost is too coldRemedy: When the weather is cold it is importantto add new waste materials as often as possible -preferably every day - and to keep the compostproperly aerated. If the average daily temperaturefalls below 5 deg C, you should put the insulatingjacket on the Green Johanna.

Problems which can arise and howto remedy them

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