Print PDF
Favorite
Email
Learn how to compost! You don't have to have a green thumb to successfully create a healthy compost bin in your own backyard.
These instructions will help you learn the basics of the composting process. Composting is a cheap, environmentally beneficial way to enrich soil for gardening and landscaping. It helps prevent pollution by reusing organic materials instead of filling up landfills. Composting replaces the need for harmful fertilizers and pesticides, and also prevents erosion. No experience or fancy equipment is needed to start your own compost pile at home. This is not an exact science - just an easy, hassle-free way to benefit your yard. Just follow these simple steps, and within a few months your compost will be ready to add to your garden!
HOW IT WORKS
The composting process is comprised of four main parts: air, water, browns, and greens.
AIR : In order for fast decomposition, the compost pile must have plenty of air. This means that it is essential for the compost materials to be regularly “fluffed” and turned.
WATER : The pile should always be moist, not wet. As one compost-guide describes, the pile should be “moist as a
wrung-out sponge.” If the pile is too dry, the decomposition will be slowed. If the pile is too wet, air is kept from
circulating in the pile and decomposition will slow.
BROWNS : Dry and dead plant material. This includes straw, brown weeds, autumn leaves, wood chips, and sawdust. These materials often need to be moistened before added to the compost.
GREENS : Fresh plant material. This includes green weeds, fruit and vegetable scraps, green leaves, coffee grounds, tea bags, etc.
These instructions will help you learn the basics of the composting process. Composting is a cheap, environmentally beneficial way to enrich soil for gardening and landscaping. It helps prevent pollution by reusing organic materials instead of filling up landfills. Composting replaces the need for harmful fertilizers and pesticides, and also prevents erosion. No experience or fancy equipment is needed to start your own compost pile at home. This is not an exact science - just an easy, hassle-free way to benefit your yard. Just follow these simple steps, and within a few months your compost will be ready to add to your garden!
HOW IT WORKS
The composting process is comprised of four main parts: air, water, browns, and greens.
AIR : In order for fast decomposition, the compost pile must have plenty of air. This means that it is essential for the compost materials to be regularly “fluffed” and turned.
WATER : The pile should always be moist, not wet. As one compost-guide describes, the pile should be “moist as a
wrung-out sponge.” If the pile is too dry, the decomposition will be slowed. If the pile is too wet, air is kept from
circulating in the pile and decomposition will slow.
BROWNS : Dry and dead plant material. This includes straw, brown weeds, autumn leaves, wood chips, and sawdust. These materials often need to be moistened before added to the compost.
GREENS : Fresh plant material. This includes green weeds, fruit and vegetable scraps, green leaves, coffee grounds, tea bags, etc.
Remove these ads by
Signing UpStep 1List of Materials
Gather the following materials:
-pitchfork or rake
-gloves
-chicken wire (24 in x 10 ft)
-zip ties/cable ties
-gardening soil (1-2 bags of 40 lbs)
-hose/watering can
-compost material (refer to table of "What to Compost")
-4 wooden stakes 3’ - 4’ tall
-mallet hammer
-a friend willing to lend a hand!
What to Compost:
-coffee grounds
-grass clippings
-leaves
-shredded paper (omit non-recyclable)
-tea bags (be sure to remove any staples)
-vegetable and fruit scraps
-wood chips
-cardboard
-yard scraps (old plants, flowers, and small prunings)
-egg shells (be sure they are free from yolk residue)
-hay/straw
What Not to Compost:
-ashes
-charcoal
-dairy products
-food sauces
-invasive weeds
-meat/fish/poultry
-bones
-non-organics (plastic, metal, glass, etc.)
-pet feces
-treated wood
-any material containing preservatives/toxins
-pitchfork or rake
-gloves
-chicken wire (24 in x 10 ft)
-zip ties/cable ties
-gardening soil (1-2 bags of 40 lbs)
-hose/watering can
-compost material (refer to table of "What to Compost")
-4 wooden stakes 3’ - 4’ tall
-mallet hammer
-a friend willing to lend a hand!
What to Compost:
-coffee grounds
-grass clippings
-leaves
-shredded paper (omit non-recyclable)
-tea bags (be sure to remove any staples)
-vegetable and fruit scraps
-wood chips
-cardboard
-yard scraps (old plants, flowers, and small prunings)
-egg shells (be sure they are free from yolk residue)
-hay/straw
What Not to Compost:
-ashes
-charcoal
-dairy products
-food sauces
-invasive weeds
-meat/fish/poultry
-bones
-non-organics (plastic, metal, glass, etc.)
-pet feces
-treated wood
-any material containing preservatives/toxins
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
I have a very heavy metal cover for it. I am getting compost, however, it needs a lot of churning and turning, and find that adding a few containers of worms does a really good job. If things are large like banana peels, cantaloupe skins,
corn cobs, I cut them down to smaller pieces, either through the food processor, or with the cobs, I let the worms take what they want and bury the rest in the
garden. It seems to decompose over the winter months. Grass and leaves helps also. Thinking of just doing one with grass and leaves this year, to see what
works best. Also think that worms do a great job, so would like to do worm farm.
I have 2 questions though ::
1) the compost bin seems quite small regarding the time it will rest before being usable. True is is meant to shrink, but as one will also add almost daily some fresh stuff, it may be a lot for such an (apparently) small volume…
2) why some organic materials are excluded from the compost ?
I understand that anything that contains, or may have contained contaminants such as chemical / industrial fertilizers, treated wood, etc… must be discarded. But what about toxins ? They are naturally all over the place !!!…
Then why not ashes / charcoal ? They are used as natural fertilizers in many places : the first fertilization process humanity invented was to burn fields before ploughing them and mixing ashes with earth by the same process…
Same question for dairy products, food sauces (for instance homemade ketchup is only grounded tomatoes and spices) …
It seems quite clear to me that bones should be written off the list as they take so long to decay, but why meat, fish, poultry (unless the reason why is that you don't want to attract animals such as dogs, foxes, forage cats rats, etc…) should be too ?…
Same question for pet feces : animal manure is still the best manure / fertilizer on earth (remember a 3 decades ago the Chinese used human manure to fertilize their fields !…), so why discard them ?…
The last thing that somewhat puzzles me me is is egg yolk residues : are they so toxic that they won't decay properly and / or ruin the whole process ????…
I would be very happy if you could answers us (if you got time and patience, of course… otherwise, no harm done !…).
Cheers !…
You want to be friendly to the neighbours all around you.
Fatty acids and proteins will make the compost STINK really really awful.
Throwing oily or greasy food scraps into the compost is the first mistake many people do and they never go back to composting after that happens.
"pet feces : animal manure is still the best manure / fertilizer on earth" Not necessarily, there are things like worms that dogs and cats get and all sorts of pathogens that jump the species barrier. So, no, not "the best stuff on earth"
Egg yolks? Dunno perhaps related to fats and will rot- you'll have to google it sometime.
Here's a linkey-
http://www.compostinfo.com/tutorial/CanICompostIt.htm
Marcintosh
If you can burn the bones (in a wood-burner) and use the ash on your veggies - potash it's called. Don't use coal-ash on vegetables - all sorts of heavy metals (quiet kind) in it - but again fine for shrubs and trees - in small amounts - you don't want your garden to be a toxic dump - and always remember what you put in the flowers this year gets on the veggies next year. Shrubs and trees usually last a few years - at least.
But keep posting : that makes me learn more.
To all of those who read this post : have a nice week-end !.
Spring is here, at least in the northern hemisphere, and I hope you all have happy moments ! …
Thank you so much for the information.
best wishes8
The Humanure Handbook breaks down the science of composting fecal matter, and would be a good read (not to mention, it's kind of fun to have a copy lying around when first time guests stop by, just to see the reaction on their faces ... HA!).
http://humanurehandbook.com/contents.html
The improper use of fecal matter has been the demise of large groups of our ancestors . A similar lack of understanding dirt can make us relive that scenario today . One should know the amount of time it takes for earths systems to break down the bad stuff we shouldn't be ingesting .
Guess I'll stay on top of my mountain where the air is pure and the trouts are fresh …
If insects overall are geting out of control spray the surface of the compost with insecticide just to keep the population from exploding
The conditions of what you put in - dampness - aeration (cardboard - some wood ash and sawdust helps) and heat generated will all make a difference - too damp and aeration stops and stinky goo results. Too dry - little happens at all. There are pages of info on this - go seek.
One tip I'd give is to consider using charcoal - ground up if possible -to add to the compost - firstly it'll help aeration greatly and secondly it will help you rediscover Terra Preta (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_preta) a way that the original peoples of middle and South America created a super soil to grow extraordinary amounts of food in tiny allotments. We use it here at Glenribbeen to dramatic effect in our raised beds.
Compost is like life what you put in and how you behave determines the quality of the return and indeed the speed of the return.
Par-boil - cool and freeze. Then deep-fry. Great with quiche and a fresh rocket salad.
Alternatively surround the upper wire with clear or at least translucent-plastic (to keep out vertically challenged carrot flies and such) and grow carrots, parsnips or other root-crops. Poke a stick in moist compost fill with good earth mixed with sand and top with young plant. The root-crop will grow straight and look, clean and chop better/easier.
This will also keep your growing season going longer as the rotting compost emits heat and a light translucent 'lid' will keep out frost and one can have crops well into winter. Surround the basket with black(covered) containers filled with (rain/shower)water to keep heat for even longer season.
I'm not a compost professional, but have been composting for over 37 years and I agree with ETW, AND add a few more comments. First, in spite of all the 'hoopla,' compost is nothing more than ROTTED ORGANIC MATTER, just like occurs naturally on the floor of a forest.
Composting is just a fancy word for the rotting of organic material. IF one just piles the organic material and leaves it alone, it will still eventually make compost.
Composting is accomplished by the action of living bacteria eating/breaking down the organic materials. The composting action will occur WITHOUT any special work, but the variety of materials, layering, watering, and turning [aeration] will create more optimal conditions for the bacteria, and thus speed up the process.
Just like other living organisms, the bacteria require a hospitable environment. The ‘good’ composting bacteria are ‘aerobic’ and need AIR to breathe. This is why experts recommend ‘turning’ of the pile. The bacteria also need a moderate to warm temperature in order to live and propagate well. And finally, the bacteria need adequate moisture. That is why the entire pile should be kept moist [not ‘wet’]. IF your compost pile ‘stinks’ and you haven’t added animal products, that is a sign that the pile is too wet, and only ‘anaerobic’ bacteria are surviving, AND anaerobic bacterial action does create noxious odors.
The IDEAL compost pile will develop an internal temperature of about 160oF which enhances the bacterial environment, and will kill weed and other undesirable seeds. Heat generation occurs naturally in a compost pile as the result of the metabolism of the bacteria. The larger the pile, the better the heat is contained [self insulating], allowing the temperature to maximize. In this ‘ible, the compost containment [chicken wire] cylinder appears to be only about 24 to 30 inches in diameter, and thus will loose too much heat which will slow down the process, and in very cold climates, would inhibit, if not totally stop the bacterial action.
The recommended MINIMUM dimensions for the most effective compost pile is roughly 3 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet, and this is not meant to require a perfect cube. Ideally it would be a hemisphere of at least a 3 foot radius.
Another point is that this Instructable indicates the use of a bag of store bought soil [DIRT] which is not necessary. The purpose of adding dirt to the pile mix is to introduce [inoculate] the pile with bacteria to 'start' the decomposition process. Just using ordinary dirt from your yard will do the job without having to buy anything. Even worse, SOME store bought soils have been ‘sterilized’ [baked] to kill all seeds and organisms and thus kills the beneficial bacteria we WANT in our compost pile. Sterilized soil is totally useless for inoculating a compost pile.
I mean no disrespect for the ladies' laudable effort to provide a basic ‘ible on composting, and the above suggestions are only intended to enhance the learning experience.
. Great job. Keep up the good work.
I'll keep the idea in mind - - for a few months time. Digging through 18 inches of snow to rock hard soil would be a waste of time right now!
Biochar or Terra Preta (black-earth) has a hugely positive influence on a garden as I've seen for myself and later found loads of studies to back this observation. See for a starting point (pros & cons) http://biochar.bioenergylists.org/
Here's a link to a Treehugger video on same; http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/06/diy-terra-preta.php
We use clean timber-cut-offs from building sites and use gasification to hat water (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/08/build-do-it-yourself-biomass-gasifier.php) to make our beverages during work in the garden.
I wouldn't however use ash from a fir where coal had been burnt - I mix that with sand and cement to make a foundation for garden paths and such.