| A: You got the right idea but you need to change or modify your technique. Composting is divided into two general categories: active and passive. An active compost pile is one that is turned weekly and is ready to be used in two months or less. The passive compost breaks down over a longer time frame. With kitchen scraps, six to seven months is typical. The goal of composting is to provide a healthy environment for the bacteria to work quickly. You'll need to mix the green components (kitchen waste, garden trimmings, and grass clippings) with the brown components (autumn leaves, newspaper, cardboard or straw) called the carbon-nitrogen ratio. The standard mix is 60 percent green material and 40 percent brown. To improve your success, you'll need to increase the volume of the newspaper strips or like components. The final ingredient is moisture. The compost should be moist like a wrung-out sponge, not soggy or dry. The compost is ready when you can no longer recognize any of the component parts. Q: I'm planning on protecting some new shrub plantings from the very cold winter night with the Easy Gardener Plant & Seed Blanket. Is it recommended to cut pieces to fit around the base of each new A: In many parts of the United States, it's necessary to protect plant roots from the harsh winter conditions. However, this is not the case in the Bay Area. It's
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