How to Compost

If you want to improve your garden this year, you should build a compost pile. Composting will improve your soil quality no matter what kind of climate or garden you have. This will lead to healthier plants. Compost is beneficial to the soil in a number of ways:

• Improves solid structure: aids in water retention—important in sandy soils—and improves aeration and drainage—important in clay soils
• Aids in nutrient retention and provides a low level of nutrients to be slowly released to plants
• Increases the number of microorganisms in the soil Increases heat absorption of soil
• Helps neutralize soil pH, acting as a pH “buffer”

Saving appropriate food scraps to compost and reuse them later reduces the amount of waste your household produces.

What is Compost

The definition of compost is any organic matter that breaks down into smaller pieces over time with the help of microbes. Applying certain gardening techniques can create optimal conditions for microbes to thrive.

Organic materials, such as leaves, bones, coffee grounds, or dead weeds, will decay over time. However, a random pile of organic materials won’t necessarily result in great compost, so compost is best defined as a pile of organic materials deliberately assembled for fast decomposition.

For efficient decomposition, a compost pile needs a good balance of the Basic Four: Greens, Browns, Moisture, and Air:

• “Greens” are the nitrogen materials (grass clippings, vegetable and fruit trimmings, green weeds)
• “Browns” are the carbon materials (fallen leaves, straw, sawdust, or shredded newspaper)
• Fast decomposition requires both good moisture content and ample oxygen for the decomposer organisms in the pile.

If you build a compost pile correctly, it will create heat as a by-product of breaking down materials. The temperature is important to control because it eliminates pathogens and unwanted weed seeds.

Types of Composting

For backyard composting, a simple mound works, but many gardeners prefer using wire or plastic bins – especially in urban or suburban settings. Some investment options for composting equipment exist that claim to make the process easier, with some able to be used indoors. You may be able to find a facility to compost your waste off-site near you. Check with your local municipality to see if this is an option.

Making a Compost Pile

A general guideline for new gardeners who want to compost is to mix 50% green and 50% brown materials by volume. The thickness of layers can vary from 2 to 8 inches depending on the particle size and moisture of the materials. Do not use more than a 2-inch layer of grass clippings at a time because they have a high moisture content and small particle size, which makes them mat and compact.

Compost Layers

Layering is a good way of estimating equal proportions for the compost pile as follows:

• Loosen soil under the area where the pile will be built.
• Layer brown materials (2-8 inches thick) covering at least a 3′ x 3′ area, or the full width of a bin.
• Water as needed to make the material “moist as a wrung-out sponge.”
• Layer green materials (2-8 inches thick), pulling material out to corners and edges.
• Add a sprinkling of soil or finished compost.
• Repeat layers, watering brown layers as needed, and keeping the shape cubical until the pile is 3-4’ tall.
• Finish the pile with a brown layer and cap it with a 2” layer of soil if possible.

Ideally, a compost pile should be a mix of brown and green materials, in order to decompose quickly and generate heat. It may also give off a very slight odor of ammonia, which is one form of nitrogen gas. If a pile is lacking in nitrogen, it won’t generate much heat and won’t break down quickly. To compost more quickly, turn the pile and mix in high nitrogen materials. A pile of manure that has too much nitrogen will get very hot and will smell strongly of ammonia. If a pile of materials has too much nitrogen, it can become anaerobic and produce a bad smell, especially if the materials are very wet. To fix this problem, mix the pile to get air to it, and add in some carbon materials, such as straw or shredded newspaper as you rebuild the pile.

Hot vs. Cold Piles

All organic materials will decompose eventually. It does not matter if the organic materials are carefully layered and combined or not. The process of hot composting creates heat in the center of a pile that is made up of layers of green and brown material. In order for hot composting to work, the pile must have the right amount of moisture and air. “Cold” composting is gradual decomposition. Leaves that fall in the Autumn will eventually turn crumbly, although it may take a year or more for oak leaves. Make sure not to put mature weed seeds or tough weeds (like Witch Grass or Nut Sedge) in a cold pile, because they could come back and bother you.

What NOT to Compost

If you want to avoid attracting pests, you should avoid leaving out meat and meat bones, dairy products, and greasy foods. Cat, dog and human feces can contain harmful pathogens. Pernicious weeds, especially those with rhizomatous root systems, may not be killed in the composting process and can actually spread during the composting process, leading to more pernicious weeds. You should not add diseased plants, plants with bugs, or weeds with mature seeds to your compost pile if you want it to stay healthy. If you’re not sure whether or not to add something, it’s better to err on the side of caution and not add it. The needles of conifers take a long time to decompose, and they can be quite acidic. Leaves from eucalyptus, walnuts and laurel trees contain tannins. (A few are okay.)

Moisture: The Wrung-out Sponge Test

A compost pile should be kept at a moisture level of 40-60%, or as moist as a wrung-out sponge. To ensure the best results, water should be added to the pile as needed, focusing on the dry brown layer, especially around the outside edges. In warm, dry climates, lack of water is often the reason why piles of wood fail to catch fire. Moisture can cause problems in cold, wet climates by making the piles soggy and compacted. Organisms that decompose matter, from the smallest bacteria to the longest worm, need a consistent supply of moisture to be most effective.

If you are slowly building a pile of compost, remember that much of the moisture can evaporate from the top foot of the pile. Re-wet the top of the pile as you build it to help keep the moisture in.

If there is too much moisture, the pile will compact and the oxygen will be lost. Anaerobic bacteria thrive in oxygen-deprived environments, causing a “rotten eggs” smell.

If you’re just starting out, a good rule of thumb is to mix 50% green ingredients with 50% brown ingredients by volume. The thickness of layers can vary depending on the particle size and moisture of the materials, with some being as thin as 2 inches and others as thick as 8 inches. Grass clippings should not be used in large quantities because they will compact and become matted. A layer no more than 2 inches thick is best.

Air: Building it into a Pile

The best decomposers for composting are aerobic (oxygen-requiring) microbes. If a pile of garbage lacks oxygen, anaerobic bacteria will take over and produce a rotten egg smell. Air can be “built into” a large pile in a combination of ways:

• Be sure to first loosen the soil that will lie under the pile;
• Add bulky materials, such as straw or cut-up brush, to the bottom of the pile;
• If using layers of wet, finely-textured materials such as grass clippings, layer them with bulky materials such as straw to avoid compaction;
• Turn the pile at least once.

One of the things that can limit decomposition is a lack of oxygen. Observe how much a large pile of leaves reduces in size over the course of the first few weeks. During the initial stage of the process, a lot of the oxygen can be used up or pushed out. As oxygen becomes less available, microbial activity slows down. If you turn the pile of leaves, it will help the pile heat up again by reintroducing oxygen. Aerating a pile is done by turning it and adding some bulky materials if the pile becomes too compacted from moisture.

How To Speed Up Composting: 10 Ways to Get Faster Results

If you’re short on time, you may be wondering how to make compost quickly at home. Wondering what will make compost break down faster? Here are some tips to help your compost break down faster.

#1. Turn your pile often

It is important to have good air circulation, so you will need to turn your large compost heap every few days to aerate it. It’s important to turn and mix the pile to create air pockets and prevent too much moisture. Heat will be distributed more evenly this way.

In other words, if you live in a small space, it may be better for you to compost using a hot composting method or to have a large compost pile.

#2. Cut up your waste

Shredding or cutting your waste will help it decompose faster. Smaller pieces of food break down faster than larger pieces because they will provide the bacteria with more surface area to work on. You should avoid grinding all your food waste into a paste, as this would make it difficult for air to flow and wouldn’t produce the fine, earthy compost you want.

If you’re looking for an easy way to shred your yard waste without having to buy a compost shredder, try using a lawn mower. This will help chop up some of the material so that it’s easier to compost.

#3. Make sure you add enough carbon

It is essential to have the right carbon to nitrogen ratio for composting to occur quickly. Carbon-rich materials like leaf clippings, twigs, sawdust, and paper are referred to as brown materials. Adding more brown material such as dead leaves helps to add bulk and also allows air to circulate better within your pile. Although brown and green are common colors for materials, it is important to note that this is not always the case. This is a contrast between two types of material, brown and green. Brown material is dry and woody, while green material is wet with a lot of moisture.

A good way to make sure your compost generates the right amount of heat is to mix green and brown materials in it. A 4:1 ratio of brown to green materials is considered a good starting point.

#4. Add high-nitrogen material

Adding high-nitrogen material to your pile will create a faster composting process. Grass clippings, plant cuttings, and fruit and vegetable scraps that are high in nitrogen are considered green materials. Adding grass clippings to your compost is a great way to add moisture and nutrients to your plants. Fruit and vegetable peels and cores are packed with moisture and nutrients.

If you want your compost pile to be effective, add small amounts of high-nitrogen material on a regular basis. Although nitrogen is necessary for decomposition, an excess of it can actually impede the composting process.

#5. Use insulation to heat it up

If you’re finding it difficult to get your compost pile to heat up, you might want to try using insulation like hay or straw. This will help keep the heat in, which will speed up the composting process.

Place the insulation material on top of the compost heap in layers, making sure that each layer is evenly distributed. As the weather gets colder, or if you want the pile to be at a higher temperature, you can increase the thickness of the insulation.

#6. Add some compost activators

You can make your compost pile start working faster by adding compost activators to it. Activators that are high in nitrogen help speed up the composting process by providing the right conditions for bacteria to break down organic matter. Accelerators, also known as boosting agents, are easy to find at most hardware stores or gardening centers and are relatively cheap. Chicken or horse manure can also help speed up the composting process because it contains high levels of nitrogen.

Here’s a helpful tip: Used coffee grounds make an excellent addition to your compost pile. Nitrogen-rich materials help speed up the composting process.

#7. Include old compost

If you want your composting to happen faster, you should make sure there are a lot of beneficial microbes. If you are beginning a new compost pile, a simple way to add the microorganisms needed is by including some compost that has already finished breaking down.

An effective way to start a compost pile if you don’t have any old compost to work with is to add compost accelerators.

#8. Compost outside in the summer

If you can increase and maintain the heat in your compost heap, it will finish quicker. It’s best to compost outdoors in the summer, in a spot that gets a lot of sun. This will easily increase the temperature of your compost.

An effective way to compost outdoors during the summer months is to follow the Berkeley method.

#9. Compost indoors in the winter

If you are composting outdoors, it is best to do it in the summer. However, if you must compost during the winter, try to do it indoors. By keeping the compost away from cold spaces, it will be able to retain heat. A compost heap will decompose more slowly during a cold winter.

Adding a hot water bottle to your compost pile, whether it’s indoors or outdoors, will help get it started and keep it warm during winter.

#10. Try to keep an ideal volume

If you want your organic matter to break down quickly, you need to make sure you have the right volume. Too much density in a compost pile prevents oxygen from flowing well, which in turn inhibits microbes from being able to break down waste efficiently. If your compost pile is too spread out, it will get too much air and become dry and crumbly.