What are browns and greens?

[Grum]

I hear these terms being used by composters, but I don't know what the difference between "green and browns" is, or what they are. Help!

[Kody]

Browns are ingredients that have a large amount of carbon in them and are typically brown in coloration. Greens are plant based ingredients or perhaps animal based, like cow manure. Green ingredients are high in nitrogen.

[Dan The Gardener]

Hey guys Kody that is spot on, composting is the balance of carbon (browns) and nitrogen (greens). For the waste material to break down properly you need the balance, with too much greens it will turn to sludge and not decompose properly that is why we add the browns which give it fibre and add a dry element, if your compost gets too mushy add browns and if it gets too dry add greens and a bucket of water