Composting

Hello everyone, new to the group
We are beginners on a lifestyle focused on more of the priorities that are common to this forum, so I will have lots of questions in many different areas! My first is about composting. My understanding is that compost should be about 1/3 green material (kitchen scraps) to 2/3 brown material. But we live in Santa Fe, NM. We don't have piles of damp leaves, or grass clippings, or that many sticks lying around...Can I ask what you guys are using for the majority of your brown material?

Also, we are super interested in vermicomposting, so any advice in that area is appreciated
Thanks for the advice! Can't wait to keep learning from you all!
Monica

Look for a cabinet shop, talk with the owner and ask for their sawdust and wood shavings. Tou have to ask if they mill a lot of black walnut because it is not good for the compost or the plants you use it on.

Hi Monica, welcome to permies! I’d recommend looking into the Johnson-Su method of composting. It originated in New Mexico, and I have adapted it for my northern California climate and materials available. It ends up being a giant passive worm compost bin with the highest biodiversity I know of. For brown, carbon rich materials, ideally leafy woodchips, I would look into chipdrop.com and contact local arborists, road departments, powerline maintenance people, and the local dump, which likely diverts green waste. If going with straw, dig into the source and even do your own testing for biocides, which often do not break down in the composting process.

Cardboard is usually easy to come by anywhere and works well as a brown layer if you shred or tear it up. In a dry climate like Santa Fe it also helps hold some moisture in the pile. Straw bales are another option if you can get them cheap locally.