A safe rule of thumb for starters is to use three times the amount of carbon materials than nitrogen materials (based on weight), and adjust the mix based on whether the pile heats up or not. Tables or book values of carbon and nitrogen content are available and a small sample of values are presented in Table 1 based on values from Rynk (1992). If there is excess nitrogen at the start, there is a high probability it will be lost in leaching water or as gaseous nitrogen – ammonia (NH3) f the pH is high or nitrogen gas (N2) if oxygen is low. Mature compost or soil may be added as an additional microbe source.