How to Compost

Compost is the key to healthy soil and a productive garden. It is the food nature produces for itself through the process of recycling dead materials back into a usable product. All life on Earth creates its own environment through this process. Animal waste feeds plants that in turn, feed the animal either directly or indirectly. Trees drop leaves in the fall which are processed into compost to feed the tree itself. Over years and years of life depositing its own waste within its habitat, the habitat becomes better and better suited to the life found there. When we make a compost pile, we are consolidating our waste into one spot and accelerating this process for use in our gardens. Earth operates as an open system with a constant supply of energy entering the system daily in the form of sunlight. Life has learned to take this energy and convert it into usable forms as well as to store it in the form of organic matter. Over billions of years, energy has been stored in this way resulting in the fossil fuels we now rely on. The big takeaway from this whole process is the concept that we can actually create a net-gain of energy within the systems of our backyards! We can collect and store the sun's energy by providing conditions which produce large amounts of biomass, and then composting this biomass for use as an amendment in our gardens. Read on to learn how you can get started composting today!

Our simple, yet effective compost pile

Why Compost?

There are several reasons to start a compost pile and truly there are no reasons NOT to! For anyone who already recycles, composting is just a matter of sorting your waste into another outlet besides the landfill.

Reduce your trash production.

By taking compostable materials out of your trash, you will see a significant reduction in the amount of waste your family sends off to the landfill. Minimizing the amount of trash you produce is an important step towards living an environmentally conscious life. Luckily, composting is one of the easiest ways to achieve this goal!

Prevent maggots and stenches from taking up residence in your trash can.

Stinky, maggot filled trash is a common occurrence among people who do not compost. The smell of rotting kitchen scraps will attract flies from miles around who will do their job as decomposers and lay their eggs in your trash can. These maggots will hatch out and feed off of your disgusting, rotting trash... especially in the summer months. No one wants to open their trash can and be greeted with a blast of fumes and hundreds of wiggling, fat larvae. When you compost your biodegradable materials, you will find that your trash consists mostly of non-biodegradable items with little to no smell. No more stinking, grub-filled garbage for you!

Produce your own garden fertilizer.

Compost is, hands-down, the best plant food on the planet! It is essentially the same product that nature itself produces through a continuous process of recycling dead materials. When we make our own compost, we are taking materials that would otherwise be destined for a landfill and turning them into a free resource to be applied to our garden beds. Any time we find a way to take a waste byproduct and turn it into a valuable resource, it is a win-win for the consumer. Composting has this effect!

How to Compost.

So, you understand why you want to have a compost pile, but now you are wondering: how do I make one? Well, lucky for you, starting a compost pile is just about the easiest thing you can do in your yard! You can start a compost pile even if you don't have a garden and you can successfully get one going despite having limited space. I have even managed to compost when we were living in a tiny 1-bedroom apartment and had about 4 square feet of dirt outside in front of our heat pump. That was all the space we needed to stick a little compost bin!

Choose a container.

Compost can be made in a huge variety of ways. You can literally just dump biodegradable materials in a pile on the ground and you will get compost. There are, however, some different types of containers that can make the process of decomposition faster and more visually appealing for those of us living with neighbors. What you want to avoid when choosing a container is creating an environment where anaerobic decomposition is occurring. "Anaerobic" means "without oxygen" and this type of decomposition gives off methane gas which STINKS! Fortunately, it is easy to design a container that prevents this occurrence!

When you design your compost pile, you need to consider a couple of factors. First, try to estimate how much biodegradable material your family produces each year. In my example of our apartment compost bin, we clearly had no yard, and therefore no garden. This meant that our compost consisted exclusively of food scraps and paper waste which didn't add up to a whole lot. Now, in our home where we garden extensively, we have large amounts of compostable materials such as leaves and weeds from the gardens, on top of what comes out of our kitchen. We require a much bigger composting setup here than we did in the apartment.

Next, think about how you plan to use your compost. If you wish to spread compost on your gardens yearly, you should consider having multiple bins so that you don't end up with materials in multiple stages of decomposition all mixed together in one pile.

There are plenty of composting bins on the market that you can buy ready to go. They are often made of black plastic and boast features such as the ability to turn a crank to mix the compost. I suppose some people may have great success with these devices, however, I have not. They typically do not let nearly enough oxygen into them and the hot decaying matter inside them starts to rot and gives off a stench. Add to that the fact that it is very difficult to remove finished compost from them if you intend to continuously add material into the system. My advice is to steer clear of these products and just build your own container.

For a small compost pile, a ring of chicken wire may be all that is necessary. The chicken wire allows plenty of airflow into the pile and the ring can be lifted periodically, allowing you to scrape the finished compost out from under the pile. This is essentially what we used in our apartment. I did actually buy a plastic mesh ring specifically designed for compost so that it wouldn't look as offensive to our neighbors, but it functioned in the same exact way. We would add materials on top and pull out the finished compost from the bottom. Since we had nowhere to use our finished compost at that time, I would just toss it in the woods nearby and feel good about how much waste we were keeping out of the landfill!

A compost bin made out of a trash can is another great option. We once made some with old trash cans that had cracks or other issues. Drill large drainage holes in the bottoms and around the sides near the bottom. This will allow excess water to escape and also give a pathway for insects and earthworms to enter the bin. If you keep the lids on, you will need to open them regularly and stir the contents to add oxygen. If possible, just leave the lids off.

Wooden pallets work great for composting and are a popular choice if you have the space. You can usually source pallets for free. By nailing them together or using rebar stakes driven into the ground, you can construct a 3-sided container for piling up your biodegradable matter. If you need to have a fourth side on the bin, be sure it can be removed in order to access the finished compost from the bottom. We only use 3 sides so that a wheelbarrow can be filled easily using a shovel when it comes time to spread it.

Feel free to get creative with how you build your bin! My parents have used big logs to create a spot in their yard that will hold their compost. Maybe you have some scrap lumber or old sheet metal you could use to build a bin. Use your imagination and don't worry too much about the details! As long as you make something that can hold materials from blowing or washing away, and it has ample drainage as well as lets in adequate oxygen, you will be making compost like a pro.

Consider the location.

If you have the luxury of choosing the location for your compost pile, there are a couple of factors to consider. Remember that you will be accessing your pile frequently. We need to add materials to ours almost daily just for the kitchen scraps we produce. You may also be adding material from your garden on a regular basis. If you can locate your pile near your kitchen and/or garden, you will minimize the amount of time you spend walking to and from your compost and will therefore be more likely to use it. We made the mistake of building ours on the far corner of our lot where there is a broken old slab that we thought we could put to better use. In hindsight, it was a poor choice because in the cold, rain and snow, I procrastinate on walking down to the bins and the kitchen scraps pile up on the counter. Part of our backyard "remodel" includes moving the compost to a more accessible location.

Pay attention to the lay of the land before selecting a spot. Placing your compost in a low-lying ditch that fills with water would be a poor choice. If building your bin on a hillside, you will need to put measures in place to prevent the compost from washing downhill. Choosing a protected spot where strong winds are blocked could be a good idea to avoid lightweight materials blowing away.

Add Materials.

There are a few rules to follow when adding material to your compost pile. The most important is that it needs to be biodegradable. Nothing should ever be added to the pile that doesn't naturally break down and this includes all plastics and metals. Beware in particular of plastic-coated paper products such as paper cups, glossy papers and "wax" paper. These are typically coated with a thin film of plastic and have been managing to sneak into my compost pile for many years! All biodegradable materials can be broken down into two categories: Browns and Greens. The ideal ratio for adding material to your compost is to add 3 parts brown material for every 1 part green. This does not need to be followed exactly, however. Any mixture will eventually break down.

Brown Materials

Brown materials are carbon-based materials and many of them are brown in color, hence the name. These include most dead leaves, small sticks, paper, cardboard, napkins, woodchips, straw, etc. Brown materials can take longer to break down than green materials and should be broken up into small pieces if they are large. Most people with yards will have plenty of brown material to add to their compost, but if for some reason you don't, think outside the box! People love to stuff all of their yard waste into paper bags and throw it to the curb as if it were garbage. Go harvest other people's yard waste! Ask them for their leaves in the fall, or just go grab those paper bags straight off the curb. It is easy to bulk up your compost production when you take advantage of the wastefulness of others!

Green Materials

Green materials are rich in nitrogen and come in a variety of colors. They typically have a high moisture content and will get smelly if they are not mixed with brown materials. Kitchen scraps are considered green with all of the fresh fruit and veggie pieces you end up with while cooking. Grass clippings, freshly picked weeds, and other such moist and recently-living plant material would be considered green. Another excellent source of green material is manure! We have chickens, and their manure mixed with their bedding is a wonderful addition to our compost! Add any herbivorous animal's manure to your compost pile for a boost of nitrogen. If you have a pet rabbit, horses, goats, sheep... Sometimes you can even get manure for free from farms if you ask around! Just be sure that they aren't feeding their animals anything you don't want in your garden such as medications or food that has been treated with systemic herbicides.

What NOT to add

There are some materials you shouldn't add to your compost or that you should at least only add with caution. Carnivore manure such as from dogs, cats or humans can be dangerous to add to your compost. Not only is it usually filled with preservatives and medications, but it can also harbor pathogens that are dangerous to human health. Unless you have systems specifically in place to deal with these risks, you should keep this type of manure out of your compost pile.

Meat and dairy are usually on the list of "do not add", however I will be calling them "add with caution" items. The risk of adding these types of material to your compost is that you can attract pests such as rats, cats and crows. In some places you could even be attracting larger predators such as coyotes or bears. I will be perfectly honest that I do occasionally add these materials to our pile in small quantities and the truth is that there are definitely some scavengers around... i.e. cats and crows. Our pile is currently far from anyone's house and these critters tend to be seen roaming the neighborhood compost pile or not, so I'm not really too worried about it. In the past I have tossed bones or meat scraps out into the woods to avoid sending them to the landfill and I will occasionally bury fish scraps or other small carcasses in the garden to recycle their nutrients naturally without bringing in the carnivores. I just hate to think of wasting these leftover materials by tossing them in the trash!

Hot Composting Vs. Cold Composting

Decomposition can occur in a variety of ways. There are many resources for building optimal compost piles that encourage bacterial decomposition. This type of composting results in a high temperature being achieved on the interior of the pile. The process can create conditions as hot as an oven and will essentially "cook" weed seeds and pathogens found in the compost which can prove to be a big advantage to some gardeners. Cold composting relies mostly on fungi and insects to break down the material. This method is easy to achieve, very low maintenance, and results in high quality compost with tons of beneficial life thriving inside it. Either way, you will still get that "black gold" sought after by gardeners, and each has its own benefits for your garden!

Hot Composting

Hot composting requires a little bit more dedication and attention to details than cold composting. This is the process used by most commercial composting facilities and it essentially sterilizes the mix to prevent the spread of weed seeds and pathogens. In order to get your compost pile to break down in this manner, you need to pay very close attention to the ratio of brown to green materials added. You also need to build a certain size pile for this process to begin and provide regular aeration to the pile in order to keep all of the bacteria happy.

You will need to get very familiar with the difference between brown and green materials for your compost pile and be sure that you add them correctly to achieve the correct ratio. A 3:1 ratio of brown to green is optimal when composting. This means that for every one part of green material you add, you will need to add three parts brown material. When you hot compost, it is extremely important that you follow this ratio.

Another very important requirement for hot composting is that the size of the pile needs to be significantly large. At a minimum, the pile will need to be 6 ft in diameter and 4 ft high. This is likely much more material than the average family produces in their day-to-day life... even if they are gardeners. Farms, especially farms with livestock, will be the most common places to find hot compost systems. When I managed a small organic farm back in the day, we would mix our large amounts of plant materials with horse manure brought in from a nearby farm. The resulting piles were so hot that they would give off steam when we stirred them on frosty mornings. The center of hot compost piles can reach temperatures as high as 170 degrees Fahrenheit! It is really amazing to see this process in action!

Lastly, you will need to keep your pile aerated or the decomposition will slow down significantly, and the internal temperature will drop. At least weekly, you will need to stir the pile in some way to put the fresh materials on the outside closer to the center, and to allow oxygen to reach the interior where all the action is. When your pile is this large, it can be difficult to stir it without a tractor, but it isn't impossible. There are also some handy "screw"-looking tools that can help you drill airways down into the middle of the pile.

Hot compost can be a great choice for fast, large-scale composting operations with large amounts of material. This is also ideal in a situation where the spread of weed seeds or plant pathogens is a real risk.

Cold Composting

Cold composting is the common method for making compost in a backyard system. It relies on fungi and insects to break down the materials and the temperature of the pile never rises. Cold compost is easy to make, requiring very little effort, however it takes longer to break down, and the end product is less pristine. In our current setup, we use cold compost and a 3-bay system to convert our biodegradable materials into a resource.

While the ratio of brown to green materials is the same for cold compost (3:1), it is much less important that it be followed perfectly. In fact, we pay absolutely no attention to this ratio and just add materials as we have them. Occasionally we will give the pile a stir and there is evidence that this step is important. Each time I go out to turn the pile, I find sections within the pile that have remained dry and are therefore not breaking down. I will also find clumps of sticks or tough material that can benefit from being chopped up or distributed better throughout the pile. We certainly don't stress, however, about turning the pile on any kind of a schedule. We just do it as we get around to it and everything eventually breaks down.

Expect to see lots of life in your pile when you are cold composting. Worms, earwigs, ants and other decomposers will be abundant throughout the pile. The presence of these critters will attract other predators such as centipedes and spiders to keep their populations in check. When you stir your pile and find white filaments growing throughout the compost, get excited! This is fungal mycelium going to work and decomposing everything for you! This collection of biota mimics what happens in nature on the forest floor and the more diversity of species you can find in your compost, the better! Never try to exclude these insects and fungi from your pile but rather encourage them. They are the ones doing all the work!

When you spread cold compost on your garden beds, you will certainly be spreading seeds, insects and fungi in your garden, but try not to worry too much about that. The insects and fungi will refresh and repair the natural systems found within your soil biome and who knows, the weed seeds could include volunteer plants that you desire! When you engage other natural methods of controlling weeds, you are likely to not have a problem with the seeds anyway!

The Big Takeaway.

Hopefully this post has taught you everything you need to know about starting your very own composting system at home! For us, composting has been a way of life for so long, it is just a part of the daily routine. Our kids have a great understanding of composting and think it is weird to see people throwing food in the trash! When you consider all of the benefits and how many of us are always looking for new ways to take control of our resources, it only makes sense to also take control of our waste stream. When you compost, you will find a huge reduction in the amount of trash you produce, and you will have turned all of that waste into an extremely valuable resource! Not only does it cost money to buy compost for your garden, but it also costs money to buy food you aren't growing, so the simple act of composting can really turn itself into a money saver! Get out there and throw together a compost bin of your own. Then watch as abundance starts to pile up around you!