GREAT GREEN SYSTEMS GREEN JOHANNA Installation And User Manual - Page 4

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Getting the Green Johanna perfectly

placed and ready

With the Green Johanna now assembled you need to find the perfect place

for it in your garden. Choosing this spot and getting the initial feed of material

right are vital to successful composting moving forward.

Choosing The Ideal Location For The Unit

The Green Johanna is best placed on a flat patch of grass or soil.

It can be sited on a hard surface if excess liquid is able to drain freely

away. Please be aware that this liquid may stain stone or decking. Also

pay particular attention to getting the base layer right (see below). Ideally

the Johanna should also be near the house, so that it is convenient to get

to in winter. If there is a known rodent problem locally, it is advisable to

site the Johanna away from fence lines if you can.

Getting The Base Layer Right

With the Green Johanna ideally located, you now need to prepare the unit

with a perfect base layer to help activate the compost and keep the air in the

composter flowing. This initially involves 10cm to 20cm of twigs and very coarse

garden material spread evenly across the base. Top this with some fine garden

waste such as grass trimmings, followed by a little soil or existing compost

you may already have. The basic mix is now ready for food waste.

Keep The Aerator Stick Handy

Aerating the material within the Green Johanna is a vital part of the

composting process. With this in mind we recommend that wherever you

place the composter, you keep your aerator stick nearby. This gives you

easy access to the stick whenever you add new material and reminds

you to agitate the mix.

Completing the set-up process and

continuing to compost

With the Green Johanna well located and the base layers prepared and ready,

we can now turn our attention to making the perfect compost. Just as with the

set-up materials, it is vital to keep layering the waste you put into the unit.

How To Add Food And Garden Waste

On top of the base layer mixture you can add your first layer of food waste.

From here on, waste should be added in alternating layers of food waste then

garden/paper waste in roughly equal proportions. Ensure waste is chopped

up, as smaller items will compost faster. Composting micro-organisms need

nutrition in the form of carbon and nitrogen. Food waste and fresh green

garden waste provide nitrogen, while dry, woody garden waste and paper/

cardboard waste provide carbon. Best practice is to cover each addition of food

waste with a layer of woody garden waste and/or shredded paper and torn-up

cardboard (tape and labels removed). Woodchips are a useful addition as they

create pathways for air. When adding paper and cardboard it can be helpful to

create air pockets, this can be done by adding paper that is scrunched up and

by leaving tubes from toilet rolls and kitchen rolls whole. Efficient composting

is best achieved through a good balance of materials. Through observing your

composter's contents you will come to know if the balance is not right. If the

compost is too wet and is starting to smell, add carbon-rich materials and

aerate well. If it is dry, add materials high in nitrogen. The consistency should

be damp like a wrung-out bath sponge.