Composting is a popular way for people to reduce their environmental impact by creating less waste, and to look after their gardens by improving soil quality.
But how do you do it? Figuring out how to start composting can seem complicated, but it’s actually much easier than you might expect.
What Is Composting?
Before I tell you how to start composting, let me explain exactly what composting is and how the composting process works.
Mimicking the natural decomposition process, composting involves breaking down food scraps, grass clippings, and other organic materials to produce compost. Finished compost is a nutrient-rich soil amendment that can fertilize garden beds or fields, making it a natural alternative to fertilizers.
The process involves mixing food waste and kitchen scraps with other organic waste, such as garden waste and similar household waste, all of which breaks down together during the composting process through various means, depending on which composting method you decide to go with, which I’ll explain further as you continue reading.
Broadly speaking, you can compost a variety of organic material in compost piles. Kitchen waste can include such material as coffee grounds and coffee filters, eggshells, tea bags, cardboard egg cartons, and certain food scraps. Depending on the type of composting, you can add worms and similar critters to speed up decomposition.
Finished compost is free of large chunks, which have broken down to create a nutrient rich material, consisting of essential nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus at various levels, depending on what yard waste and kitchen scraps you add to your compost pile. When used in fields and in gardens, compost encourages plant growth. In fact, farmers often refer to compost as “black gold.” Given how valuable it can be in promoting growth, “black gold” seems an apt descriptor, especially considering how it compares to chemical fertilizers.
Though homemade compost is becoming increasingly popular, the process has been a staple at local community gardens in many areas for decades, and it dates back throughout human history as far back as 2350 BCE. But with the widespread availability of ready-made composters and impetus to have a positive impact on the environment, homeowners and renters alike have moved beyond the local community garden to maintain compost piles at home.
Benefits of Composting
Composting has grown in popularity primarily because of the nutrients that the finished compost contains, but also because maintaining a compost pile actually has a number of advantages, for both you and the world at large.
Soil conditioner
The nutrients—and wide range of micronutrients—in compost acts as a conditioner for soil, adding biodiversity from microorganisms and helping it retain more moisture. In the agriculture industry, that means less water is needed to grow crops, while gardens need to be watered less often. These nutrients also help plants grow fuller, bloom longer, and produce healthier and more abundant fruits and vegetables.
Reduced waste
Composting diverts as much as 30% of kitchen waste from the garbage can and places it directly in the compost tumbler instead of in landfills. The waste that ends up in a landfill doesn’t have the air it needs to decompose properly, leading to methane gas emissions and fueling climate change and global warming. An end to throwing away food would result in an 11% reduction in total greenhouse gases, according to Let’s Talk Science, a Canadian nonprofit committed to environmental education.
Environmental benefits
Reducing methane emissions isn’t the only way compost benefits the environment. More traditional fertilizers contain chemicals like arsenic, mercury, chromium, and lead, each of which can leach into the environment. These are known or suspected carcinogens and are toxic to fish and wildlife, as well as having health implications for people.
Synthetic fertilizers also trick plants into thinking they’re growing in fertile soil when they aren’t. This eventually results in weaker plants and less nutritious fruits and vegetables. Compost does the exact opposite.
Different Types of Composting
Now that you know why you should compost and you’ve decided that you will start composting, you have to choose a method. When people think of composting, they may believe there’s only one way to do it. Nope. There are actually four main composting methods, each of which offers its pros and cons compared to the others. While some are better for indoor composting, for example, others are better suited to outdoor composting.
Though all these methods follow similar steps, each has specific features that can help you decide which is best for you.
Cold composting
Cold composting may be the easiest way of making compost, simply because it doesn’t require much effort on your part. You’ll simply have to put the materials into your compost bin and let nature do its job. Add to the compost pile as you go, and you won’t typically need to worry about the materials you’re putting in. As long as they’re compostable and there’s space in your compost bin, you can toss it in. You do want to try to layer your green and brown materials, though, since you won’t be mixing it.
The only downside to this is that it releases more methane gases than other methods, making it the least environmentally friendly option.
Hot composting
Hot composting is the most time-intensive way of home composting, as you’ll need to pay a lot of attention to it. It doesn’t take as long to produce finished compost as the other methods, however, as it encourages organic matter to decompose faster, using heat produced by aerobic decomposition. While this approach has many similarities with the other types, there are some fundamental differences.
Perhaps the most notable is that you’ll need to turn the composting materials regularly. You can get compost bins or tumblers that let you do this by simply flipping or rolling the bin. Doing so manually, though, simply involves taking a pitchfork or similar object to the compost materials in a way quite similar to tossing a salad. This lets the organic materials aerate and decompose faster, as it mixes the carbon-rich materials and nitrogen-rich materials more effectively than other approaches. It also encourages the breakdown of any pest larvae and eggs that may be in the compost pile and kills any unwanted bacteria as the oxygen heats the material—hence, “hot compost.”
Bokashi composting
Bokashi is one of the more appealing ways of making compost in an apartment or small home, as you don’t need much outdoor space, or even a compost bin. Instead, you’ll simply need an airtight container to add your compostable material to. As well as adding the same materials as each of the other ways to make compost, you’ll need to add bokashi bran, which stimulates the fermentation and decomposition process.
Vermicomposting
Vermicomposting, also called “vermiculture,” is similar to cold composting in that you’ll take many of the same steps, although it also involves adding earthworms to the compost pile, which explains why it’s also called worm composting. These worms feed on the raw materials in your compost bins, with the resulting compost pile essentially being their excrement. While this might seem off-putting, it leads to better physical and chemical properties in the soil it’s added to.
What to Compost
The key to successful composting is knowing which organic materials to add to your compost tumblers or bins. These can be broken down into green materials and brown materials. Green materials are a nitrogen source while brown materials are carbon rich, and both of these are vital to any composting program.
You’ll need to have the right mix of carbon materials and nitrogen materials in your compost tumbler for the waste to properly break down, usually 50-50. The greens are responsible for encouraging microorganisms, while browns act as a food source for soil-dwelling organisms like worms as they break down the materials.
Here are most common materials to compost:
- Cardboard, uncoated and cut up into small pieces
- Hair and fur
- Shredded newspaper
- Yard waste
- Grass clippings
- Coffee grounds and filters
- Eggshells
- Sawdust
- Wood chips
- Food scraps
- Green Leaves
- Kitchen scraps and food waste
It’s one thing to know what to include in a compost pile, but it’s quite another to know what to avoid. More than a few seemingly helpful materials can do more harm than good, such as black walnut tree leaves and twigs. These can excrete toxins as they decompose, which not only affects the organisms breaking down the rest of the materials, but could work their way into anything the compost is spread on.
Insect-ridden or diseased plants shouldn’t be included either, as the diseases or insects that come with this can spread to the rest of the compost pile. You should also avoid including these other materials in your compost tumblers:
- Colored or glossy paper
- Dairy, meat, or other animal products
- Coal or charcoal ash
- Plastic
- Bread
- Cooking oils
- Rice
- Acidic fruits and vegetables, such as citrus
How to Choose a Compost Bin
Before you start a compost pile, you’ll need to pick a compost bin from among the multiple available options, such as countertop composters, waste digesters, and tumblers. For more information on types of compost bins, read my article on the topic. But a compost bin can be as simple as a wood frame with tight screening to enclose it, or a large garbage bin with holes drilled in for aeration. If you’re a DIY type, read my guide to making your own compost bin. Choosing between these can be difficult when you first start a compost pile, but there are multiple factors that can help you narrow down your options.
Where you’re composting
Whether you decide to compost indoors or use an outdoor space is one of the largest factors to consider, as you’ll need to consider the available space. If you’re composting indoors, for example, a countertop composter will work just fine, as it doesn’t take up much space. If you have more outdoor space, then a compost tumbler might work better for you, as it makes mixing your compost easier.
What you’re composting
While most bins are well suited to most green and brown matter that you’ll compost, some options are better suited to particular types of composting than others. If you’re choosing vermicomposting, for instance, then be sure to choose a bin that functions more like a worm farm for your compost.
How much organic waste you produce
The more organic waste you produce every week, the larger of a bin you’ll need. For a household of up to four people, enclosed bins of between 15 and 20 cubic feet are generally a good size, but this comes down to your specific needs.
Odors
Compost can have an overwhelming, earthy smell that’s hard to ignore, especially when you’re letting a lot of waste decompose. Some bins are more effective at containing this than others, with electric composters being more effective than others. If odors tend to bother you, try an electric composter.
How to Start Composting: Step by Step
Composting at home doesn’t need to be difficult and you don’t need to limit yourself to a community garden. Instead, there are a few simple steps beyond choosing your location, materials, and bin.
1. Lay twigs or straw
Layering twigs or straw at the bottom of the pile encourages air to circulate in the bin, a process also called aeration. It also prevents excess moisture and allows for good drainage during the process.
2. Add materials in layers
You should add your materials in layers, alternating between wet materials and dry ones. Wood ash and dead leaves are dry materials, while food scraps and similar items are wet. Layering these lets the carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen interact while making sure there isn’t any leakage while you’re making your compost. Layering isn’t as important if you plan to mix your compost, but it can’t hurt to start out this way.
3. Cover, aerate, wait
Once you’ve added all of your materials, it’s time to close up your bin and let the compost process begin. If you’ve chosen the hot method, over the following weeks you should expect to aerate your compost occasionally, if not every day. The process involves taking a pitchfork or similar tool to the compost and mixing it up, like how you’d do with a salad. A compost tumbler lets you do this by simply turning the bin upside down.
Depending on which way you’re making your compost, you should expect the overall process to take from a few weeks to about a year, depending on a variety of factors, including your method, your climate, what materials you’re using, and more.
Tips for Composting
As attractive as composting is, it needs a finer touch to do well, and it can take a while to figure out its intricacies and avoid common mistakes. Making sure there’s enough heat, ensuring you don’t attract pests, and similar factors can all come into play. While this becomes easier as you compost regularly, here are some helpful tips to make this easier:
- Increase carbon-rich materials to prevent fruit flies from buzzing around, which are typically attracted to greens.
- Use safety precautions, such as a dust mask, when tending to materials, so you don’t inhale any unwanted materials.
- Avoid meat products or pet waste, as these can draw in pests and disease.
- Avoid plants or materials that have been treated with pesticides, as these can break down into chemicals in your pile.
- Keep acidity levels at a pH of between 5.5 and 8, as composting bacteria work best in this range.
- Keeping your pile damp, but not wet.
Wrapping Up
Composting is an effective way to reduce your environmental impact and carbon footprint while giving you a way to tend to your garden and flower beds. Though it can seem like a complicated process, it’s far from it. Instead of putting your yard and kitchen waste into one bin, you simply put it in another—your own compost pile.
With the benefits that composting offers, there’s no reason why people with the space and time shouldn’t take advantage of it. I hope this guide gives you the confidence to start a compost pile today!