What is Carbon?

I was talking to a fellow gardener on the weekend who was busy establishing a new a garden. I suggested that her garden would do better with the addition of compost and then got onto the suject of building a compost heap. I started explaining the essential elements of carbon and nitrogen needed - the question was then posed What is carbon? so I'll try to give a basic understanding of these elements and their importance in nurturing any garden.

Carbon is a naturally abundant non metallic element that forms the basis of all living matter - all living organisms contain carbon. If you burn a leaf the black stuff left over is carbon. Plants make it using sunlight and water in a process called photosynthesis a process all non plant organisms rely on to live.

The crux of any organic garden is the compost heap it can be used to replace all other commercial fertilizers and is the cheapest and also produces great tasting food.
Using compost improves soil structure, texture, and aeration and increases the soil's water-holding capacity. Compost loosens clay soils and helps sandy soils retain water. Adding compost improves soil fertility and stimulates healthy root development in plants. The organic matter provided in compost provides food for microorganisms, which keeps the soil in a healthy, balanced condition. Nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus will be produced naturally by the feeding of microorganisms, so few if any soil amendments will need to be added.

To build a compost heap and have it break down quickly it needs a a combination of carbon rich material (which is the food the microorganisms need) and nitrogen rich material (which become the building blocks for the miroorganisms body protien). The microorganisms also need air and water to thrive.
So anything that once lived contains carbon, paper and saw dust have a very high carbon content. I haven't tried to compost paper but I've wondered if it would be worth while to have a paper shredder - does anyone use a shredder to compost paper?
Leaves, and the soft parts of palm frods are common in the tropics. Bananna leaves are great and even better if you lay them on the grass and run over them with a lawn mower.
Anything green has a high nitrogen content. Animal manures, fruit scraps and fresh grass clippings are also good.
I've heard big differences in the amount of carbon to nitogen ration that a compost heap should have for the microbes to thrive. from 30:1 to 20:1 to 2:1. At approx 20:1 my heap seems to heat up OK but don't get to particular just chuck it all together and put your hand in it afer a couple of days if it's hot great if it's not turn it over add some water and some more nitrogen rich content and try again.

So get composting in some way it will save you money, the enviroment and keep your garden TIP TOP!