How to Make Compost

To make compost, you need organic material plus microbes (bacteria, fungi, etc.) and other small creatures that will break down that material.

The type of organic material needed will be detailed below. We'll focus now on those little microbes that work so hard to make the compost for us.

If you want to get the best compost the most quickly, you'll need to keep the microbes happy. The three elements that make them happy are: the right amount of moisture, enough oxygen, and the right types of food.

Your compost pile should be damp, but not too wet. It should be about as wet as a moist sponge.

If the rain doesn't provide enough moisture, you'll need to add some water to your compost pile - using a watering can or hose.

If there's too much rain, you'll want to add some organic material to reduce the wetness.

During dry spells, you'll probably want to sprinkle some water on each layer of material you add to the compost pile.

The organisms that make compost need oxygen in order to survive.

In order to provide this oxygen, you should turn your compost pile or use a compost aerator, which is basically a stick that you push into the pile to open passages for the air to enter.

If you're using a compost tumbler, then you'll just need to turn the tumbler itself.

Turning or aerating should be done at least every 3 to 5 days. Turning the compost pile more often will hasten the decomposing process.

Also, adding some coarser materials - such as wood chips or coarse straw - will allow more air to enter the pile.

To survive, the microorganisms in your compost bin need both carbon and nitrogen.

Carbon is supplied by "brown" ingredients such as leaves and straw. Nitrogen comes from "green" ingredients such as grass clippings and kitchen waste.

Green ingredients are usually moist and fresh materials. Brown ingredients are apt to be older, dryer materials.

The suggested ratio of browns to greens in your compost bin is 25 to 1 - that is, you want 25 times more browns than greens.

Do not compost:

- any type of meat or bones
- diseased plants
- weeds that have gone to seed
- cooking oil or fatty foods
- dairy products
- pet waste

TIP: If you live in an area where bears are present, avoid adding apple peels or other fruit to your compost bin or pile. The fruit attracts bears and, while I very much like bears, I don't want them tearing up my compost bin.

Leaves are an easily-obtained source of carbon-rich material for your compost pile or bin.

For composting, it's better to use leaves gathered freshly in the fall than to use leaves that have been on the ground over the winter.

As the leaves get older, they lose their nitrogen content. Also, when leaves are drier, they don't decompose as easily.

If you add leaves to your compost pile as is, they tend to pack down and resist decay. A better solution is to shred your leaves.

This shredding can be done by running your lawn mower over the leaves or by using a leaf shredder.

I use a leaf shredder and it works really well. You end up with finely shredded leaves that decompose much more quickly than whole leaves. And the shredded leaves can also be used as mulch in the garden.

If you've got the right ingredients and the right amount of moisture and oxygen in your compost pile or bin, it will begin to heat up.

As it heats up, the decomposition process will speed up. The heat will also kill any harmful pathogens and weed seeds.

It's useful to monitor the temperature in your compost bin with a compost thermometer. When the temperature begins to cool, you'll know it's time to turn or aerate the pile.

You can make compost in a pile, with no structure around it. But many people like to use some sort of container - for example a compost tumbler or bin.

Compost tumblers are round drum-shaped containers that are designed to be turned on a periodic basis in order to speed up the process of making compost.

Composting bins come in various shapes and sizes, from a simple wire structure to more elaborate wooden enclosures.

If you choose not to purchase a compost tumbler or bin, you can build your own compost bin.

The resources below include directions for building many types of bins - from wire mesh bins to New Zealand boxes to garbage can bins.

Intro: © Jack Schiffer | Dreamstime.com
Composting and Moisture: © Jackie Egginton | Dreamstime.com
Materials to Compost: © Piotr Kozikowski | Dreamstime.com
Composting Leaves: © Vitaly Titov | Dreamstime.com
Building a Compost Bin: © Franz Pfluegl | Big Stock Photo

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