Step 1: Get to Know YOUR Farming Community
Step 2: Determine Your Ability to Grow Food
Step 3: Creating Good Soil
Step 4: Choosing Easy Crops
Step 5: Begin Composting
Because this is a beginner’s series, I’m going to teach you the most important and yet basic information about composting. Understanding this will make you a great composter.
Why compost? Every “green thumb” knows that the difference between a good crop and a poor one is fertilizer. The very best and cheapest fertilizer is compost.
First of all, realize that compost just happens. Decomposition of dead matter doesn’t require any assistance from us, nature just takes care of itself. It’s just basic biology.
Passive composting is what happens naturally, active composting is when we humans step in to speed the process up. Both render wonderful compost, one method is just quicker than the other.
With that in mind, resist the temptation to run out and buy one of the many groovy composting contraptions available on the market out there. You really don’t need any of them. If you choose to own something like that down the road, once you get a little more experience under your belt, go for it. You might find that one of those products truly fits a need you might have (like trying to compost in urban areas). But for now, let just talk “pile”.
The above diagram is just about as fancy as it needs to get, frankly. If you are in a location that would allow a “heap” or or “pile” in the corner of your yard somewhere, I would begin with that.
Compost bins made from old pallets are popular, try to make sure the wood isn’t treated, although that’s not easy to tell sometimes.
Personally, I do not care for the chicken wire idea. This makes it nearly impossible to turn your pile, which is critical to speedy composting.
Effective compost needs the following:
Water
Oxygen
Soil
Good drainage
Take a mental picture of the first “pile”. Notice how it has mostly “brown” (or completely lacking life) materials with less “green” materials? That’s referred to as the carbon/nitrogen ratio and it has everything to do with how fast or slow your compost pile will decompose.
Here’s all the beginner needs to know. Try to add about a 3:1 ratio of “browns” to “greens” in your pile. This rarely works out exactly. But remember, compost will always happen! We’re only talking about the speed with which it will happen with proper conditions.
What’s a “green” and what’s a “brown“??
“Greens” bring nitrogen to your pile:Kitchen scraps, such as peels from fruits and vegetables.Coffee grinds and tea bagsFresh leaves, twigs and grass clippingsComposted manure(Avoid meats, dairy and fats)“Browns” are the carbons that your pile needs:Hair and dryer lintDry leaves and twigs, grass clippingsPaper and wood products, in small piecesLintStraw
Here are a couple of more resources for composting ideas here and here.
A few more pointers:
* Start your pile with a 2-4″ layer of “browns”, like leaves, twigs, straw, etc.
* Continue to add layers of “greens” and “browns”, keeping in mind that 3:1 browns to greens works best.
* When you add a layer of food scraps, always cover with a little soil to discourage critters from visiting your heap.
* Water your pile every couple of days and turn several times a week. This speeds up decomposition.
* Your pile should not smell! If it does, add more “brown” materials, turn more frequently and make sure it’s getting enough air circulation. Your pile should smell like sweet soil or peat moss.
*Placing your pile at a “downwind” location from your home is recommended.
* I like using a pitch-fork to turn my pile.
* Also avoid the use of human, dog or cat manure. This is toxic.
Composting isn’t a perfect science, so don’t get hung up on the fact that you might make mistakes. JUST get started! We are all learning along the way!
Once you start to see your “black gold” developing under your compost pile, you’ll want to start more piles! It’s pretty exciting!
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About kmorris
You’re right, it really isn’t a perfect science…it just happens. As long as it doesn’t stink or get slimy and nasty, it’s all god.
I’ve been using the heap method for years with much success, even without the regular turning I should give it. Because I have chickens that like to make a mess of my pile, I cover the whole thing with a tarp and keep it damp, which seems to speed up the composting process even more.
However, my wonderful other half recently built me a pallet compost bin to help prevent the chickens from making such a mess, so I guess I’ll have stay on top of the turning of the pile from now on.
What about keeping the critters out?
A. States,
You know, here’s my theory on critters. Critters come…no matter where you live, whether you compost or not.
Many are nocturnal and are just looking for food. I have lived in the burbs and I now live in the country, and I must say that I definitely had more critters in the burbs to deal with.
However, they came anyway, compost or no compost. So if they stopped by to grab a bite, so be it. No one set up residence.
That said, two points will minimize your critter involvement….
1. Don’t put out meat, fats, and dairy. Obviously, these attract all kinds of undesirables and will not decompose properly in your pile.
2. Cover kitchen scraps with a scoop or two of soil to minimize the scent.
Hope that helps! Happy composting!
I’ve gathered up 4 pallets and making a bin this week! I always wondered what you put in it and how it works and this helped me out a lot! Thanks!
Thank you very much for sharing this with us on Seasonal Celebration Sunday! An extremely thorough tutorial on composting. We need to enclose our compost completely here, as our endemic rat population is growing by the day in the UK. Rebecca @ Natural Mothers Network x
I had no idea dog manuer was toxic. Does that mean it should not be tilled into my garden. What if it already has been?
Wow, I’m not sure. I’m researching it for you now. Anyone??
I just began composting about a month ago and I am amazed at how well my heap is doing. I will have to say that I am not turning it as much as recommended, but it still seems to be working. It makes me feel great to get use from things that otherwise would have been thrown away. I can’t wait to have useful, rich potting soil!!! My son and I worked in some things recently and were happy with finding 0 offensive odor. It’s a wonderful effort and well worth the small amount of time spent maintaining it.
THANK YOU for this whole series!!!!! So helpful!! I’m trying to see if I can even make a great garden here in hot and dry Kansas. This year I planted my first garden and it didn’t go too well.
Between bad soil quality, trees leaching nutrients/water, worms, not having this awesome info, and my dog who thought my canteloupes were toy balls, it pretty much failed. However, I will hopefully improve it next year. Do you have any advice on having chickens, a garden, and an energetic dog in the same suburban big backyard?