Composting and spring go hand in hand as everyone plans for their best gardens yet. Those new to composting may find it challenging to get started. While it takes more than tossing old food into a pile, composting at home is easier than many might think.
Discover simple ways to repurpose what you already have to create compost that enhances your gardening efforts this spring. Use this beginner’s guide to start your compost pile and watch your gardens grow more beautiful than ever before.
What is Composting and Why Does it Matter?
Composting facilitates the biological decomposition of organic materials, such as leaves, grass clippings, and food scraps, through the action of microorganisms. Combining these organic materials creates compost, a soil amendment that enhances soil health and provides essential nutrients to your plants.
Composting recycles items like yard trimmings and old food to manage your waste sustainably. As a result, you are reducing the amount of trash in landfills and minimizing the emission of greenhouse gases into the air. You gain the added benefit of creating a soil enhancement for better gardens with minimal effort.
Basic Backyard Composting
For those without a backyard or sufficient space, community composting programs offer a convenient location to drop off scraps and collect compost. If you have adequate space, the first step is to select a suitable spot in your yard to start a compost pile.
Next, consider the elements to add to your composting pile. Choose a balance of materials containing carbon (brown things), nitrogen (green items), air, and moisture. These items may include dry leaves, twigs, fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells, teabags, and shredded paper. Items to avoid including in a composting pile are cheese, dairy products, fish, meat, oils, herbicides, pet waste, kitty litter, treated wood, and aggressive weeds.
Starting a Compost Pile
Consider how to collect brown and green items from your home and yard. Consider storing fruits and vegetables in a closed container in your kitchen. Browns can be gathered in an outside area. Typically, composting materials are collected in an accessible outdoor bin with good drainage. Avoid placing it near a fence, and the pile can be positioned in either the shade or the sun. A compost bin can be constructed of wood, wire, barrels, and/or cinder blocks.
Start your pile with a half-foot layer of browns, including twigs and wood, to absorb liquids and promote air circulation. Then, add green and brown materials in layers. Cut the items you add to the compost pile into smaller pieces to speed up their breakdown. Ideally, a compost pile should be slightly moist at all times.
Maintenance Matters
A composting pile heats up over time as the materials decompose. Fortunately, this heat is beneficial to kill off weeds and pathogens. Periodically mix and turn your pile to accelerate decomposition and provide essential oxygen.
If the pile becomes dry, moisten and turn the materials. If it develops an unpleasant odor, add more dry materials, such as brown items, and turn the pile. When your compost pile stays cool and fails to heat up, mix in some greens.
When Is the Compost Done?
When the pile doesn’t get hot after mixing and you can no longer see food scraps, it is almost ready to harvest. A pile should cure for about one month. Old compost can be added to the bottom when you add new materials to the pile. Within about three months, the compost should be finished and ready to use. If the pile is left unattended, it can take up to a year for the decomposition process to occur.
Finished compost is dark, loose, and has the aroma of fresh soil. Most of the items are fully decomposed. Sift out items that did not break down, such as fruit pits, using a hardware cloth or strainer. Use these scraps to create a new compost pile, and add your finished compost to your gardens to help them grow stronger and healthier.
