I have been adding coffee grounds to my tomatoes, peppers, and hydrangeas for a few weeks now. My tomatoes are doing incredibly well (hydrangeas are another story for another forum! LOL). I just started doing it because my Grandmother has always done it. We have slightly better soil than they do in Birmingham area where she lives (in the city of Clay, if that tells you anything!) and the mountainous area where I grew up. It does have a fairly high clay content, but it isn't that bright red clay that turns into brick in the summer that I was used to. My grandmother said the coffee grounds always helped her plants that liked acidic soil, and my husband goes through so much coffee, it seems like a waste not to try it.
So, that has brought me to wanting to begin my own organic composting. I had the idea a few days ago when I had some tomatoes and carrots to throw out that had gone bad. The only problem is, I have NO idea how to even begin. How do you turn wet and rotting food into a decent compost pile? I'm sorry I sound like an idiot. LOL.
I have not yet pH tested the soil. I always assumed it was alkaline, seeing as how the name of my county is Limestone. It's everywhere, so it has to be in the soil. However, someone at Home Depot told me that we must have acidic soil because there was a fairly decent cotton production in this area back in the day. I've also noticed that most people's hydrangeas are blue AND pink, (and purplish) even in the same bush. Gorgeous. Does it even matter for fertilizing purposes what the pH is? Can you over acidify the soil through compost fertilizing?
Any tips you could spare would be greatly appreciated.
We have an entire forum here for Composting, and many, many, many threads 
on how to begin.
In addition, Sarasota County, Florida and the University of Florida together have an excellent site which some of us have referred to occasionally, as it has great illustrations:
https://www.compostinfo.com
I've moved your post to the Compost Forum as well, where it will be seen by more people involved in composting.
Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9
on how to begin.In addition, Sarasota County, Florida and the University of Florida together have an excellent site which some of us have referred to occasionally, as it has great illustrations:
https://www.compostinfo.com
I've moved your post to the Compost Forum as well, where it will be seen by more people involved in composting.
Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9
I promise, I thought I looked for a compost forum. Thanks for moving it and thanks for the link!start with something dry(browns a.k.a. high carbon)......sounds like you have the wet materials(greens a.k.a. high nitrogen material)
just start piling the stuff up. in layers or all mixed together.
I find it easier to start in the fall with a large supply of fall leaves.
Down in Alabamy you should have dry leaves all year.
Don't be afraid of making a mistake, if there is something not quite right later, just post your question and the good folks here have good advice to help you get things straight.
But, you have to start piling the organic material.
just start piling the stuff up. in layers or all mixed together.
I find it easier to start in the fall with a large supply of fall leaves.
Down in Alabamy you should have dry leaves all year.
Don't be afraid of making a mistake, if there is something not quite right later, just post your question and the good folks here have good advice to help you get things straight.
But, you have to start piling the organic material.
Thanks so much!!! I have a 4 year old and a 5 year old (and bad habits of not using my leftovers over shopping for produce) and a husband with a 16 hour per day coffee habit, so we generate TONS of food waste at my house. Now that I understand about greens and browns and how you have to balance them, I'm wondering if I can ever come up with enough brown material.
We really don't have any leaves.... Most builders of the newer homes will clear the land completely of tall trees (which I hate) because of the threat of tornados, and only add back landscaping shrubbery. plus this area of the county is fairly agricultural. Lots of cleared land.
I have two different kinds of shrubs. One is holly and the other is some type of "evergreen" that isn't needly or waxy. As a matter of fact, I'm not even sure they are true evergreens, just cold hardy enough to winter this area without dropping leaves. I have to trim both constantly because they grow so fast.... would that be green or brown? And if I let them lay for a while before adding them to the pile? The other shrub I'm sure would work, but the holly takes forever to decompose. Can I even use holly? They only berry a couple times a year, but if I stay away from the berries would it be alright?
Does paper work? We generate lots of it to, because of the kids. Are there any rules as far as ink, pencil, or crayon on the paper? Can paper towels be used? And are they brown?
Oh, and am I right in assuming that I don't need to add anything that has chemicals on it? (paper towels used for cleaning or cleaning wipes).
I'm just trying to think of what else I could add. We really have alot of wood or sawdust.... of course, mulch is pretty cheap. Maybe I could add if I needed to. It just seems to be defeating the purpose of composting if I have to go buy something I normally wouldn't use just to add to the compost pile.
We really don't have any leaves.... Most builders of the newer homes will clear the land completely of tall trees (which I hate) because of the threat of tornados, and only add back landscaping shrubbery. plus this area of the county is fairly agricultural. Lots of cleared land.
I have two different kinds of shrubs. One is holly and the other is some type of "evergreen" that isn't needly or waxy. As a matter of fact, I'm not even sure they are true evergreens, just cold hardy enough to winter this area without dropping leaves. I have to trim both constantly because they grow so fast.... would that be green or brown? And if I let them lay for a while before adding them to the pile? The other shrub I'm sure would work, but the holly takes forever to decompose. Can I even use holly? They only berry a couple times a year, but if I stay away from the berries would it be alright?
Does paper work? We generate lots of it to, because of the kids. Are there any rules as far as ink, pencil, or crayon on the paper? Can paper towels be used? And are they brown?
Oh, and am I right in assuming that I don't need to add anything that has chemicals on it? (paper towels used for cleaning or cleaning wipes).
I'm just trying to think of what else I could add. We really have alot of wood or sawdust.... of course, mulch is pretty cheap. Maybe I could add if I needed to. It just seems to be defeating the purpose of composting if I have to go buy something I normally wouldn't use just to add to the compost pile.
Here's a list of Browns & Greens for composting. If you lose this url, don't worry; the thread is at the top of the Compost Forum (I.e., it's a Sticky--it "sticks" to the top of the forum list).
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9089
Also, the compostinfo site from earlier may be helpful, as it's from a Southeast (well, Florida...) source. Not all tree leaves decay at a rate satisfactory to some compost makers: magnolia and sycamore come to mind. Too bad, since MIL has a huge magnolia in front of her house, and sycamores are the street tree for lots of streets in Berkeley, where we lived before moving to this house.
Please also read this thread, where I talked about the Seven Stages of Making Compost:
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12488
I responded twice on that thread; you'll be looking for my *second* response on the Seven Stages.
Happy composting! I've done it for years now, but I definitely remember trying it in the beginning, when there was very little information available. I'm not sure which is more difficult: not enough info, or too much...
Cynthia
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9089
Also, the compostinfo site from earlier may be helpful, as it's from a Southeast (well, Florida...) source. Not all tree leaves decay at a rate satisfactory to some compost makers: magnolia and sycamore come to mind. Too bad, since MIL has a huge magnolia in front of her house, and sycamores are the street tree for lots of streets in Berkeley, where we lived before moving to this house.
Please also read this thread, where I talked about the Seven Stages of Making Compost:
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12488
I responded twice on that thread; you'll be looking for my *second* response on the Seven Stages.
Happy composting!
I've done it for years now, but I definitely remember trying it in the beginning, when there was very little information available. I'm not sure which is more difficult: not enough info, or too much...Cynthia