Creating compost and using it in our gardens is one of the best things you can do for the environment and for your garden. Here are 3 ways to start composting.
Compost is nature’s recycling bin by taking all the vegetative and brown waste and turning it into soil that is rich in nutrients. Compost is the best amendment you can add to your garden or potting soil. A big misconception is that compost is smelly and attracts bugs. Having microscopic bugs and earthworms in your compost pile is essential as they are the ones eating the refuse and producing that awesome compost. Bugs and the compost they produce are part of the circle of life and an essential part of a healthy well-balanced garden.
3 Ways to Start Composting
Here are three ways you can start composting.
How to Start a Traditional Compost
A traditional compost pile is easy to start and can produce compost in 10-12 weeks. You can make a compost bin or just make a pile in a corner of the yard. The compost will need to be turned weekly, so have a little room to shovel and use a pitchfork for easy turning.
1. Start the pile by putting down brown materials like dried leaves or twigs on the bottom.
2. Next grab lawn clippings and other green materials such as newspaper, coffee grounds, egg shells, and all your leftover fruits and vegetables and put those on top. Don’t add meats or dairy as that’s when you attract animals and bugs that you would rather not have around.
3. After everything is added, water the pile down completely and mix everything together with a pitchfork.
Here are DIY compost bin projects.
How to Start a Tumbling Composter
The easiest way to have an outside compost pile is to buy a composter that is on a stand and turns. Initially, it will seem that they are more expensive than just having a pile. But let me tell you, the time you will save from turning a pile is so well worth it because you can do that same amount of work that requires an hour and a pitch form with a couple of quick turns of the barrel. It is also a great gardening addition to save your back!
You add the same items to the barrel:
1. Add brown materials like dried leaves or twigs.
2. Add lawn clippings and other green materials such as newspaper, coffee grounds, egg shells, and all your leftover fruits and vegetables.
3. After everything is added, water the pile down completely and mix everything together by turning the composter.
Keep it evenly moist at all times and you can create compost in as little as 6 weeks!
How to Get Started with Worm Composting
Vermiculture is composting with worms and they can compost waste super-fast, sometimes in just 
weeks! Earthworm castings are a very high-quality compost additive and the best part is a worm bin is self-contained and nearly odorless. You can do vermicomposting inside in a standalone vermiculture bin or outside in a large container like an old bathtub. The most often used worms in vermiculture are red worms (Eisenia fetida) and will reproduce and eat the most refuse when temperatures are between 50-70 degrees.
1. Start your worm bin with a base of shredded newspaper or dried grass. This provides a great source of fiber and keeps the bin well-ventilated.
2. Add a scoop of dirt or potting soil then thoroughly soak it for 24 hours before adding the worms.
3. Worms will reproduce and die based on how much food you give them. Feed them small amounts once a week in the beginning as they also will eat bedding. As the worms reproduce and grow in numbers, feed them twice a week with fruit and vegetable scraps, tea leaves and coffee grounds, egg shells, plus bread and other grains. The best way to give them their food is to put it into a food processor first then mix the scraps into the bedding when you feed them.
It is so much fun to worm compost!
More Composting Tips
Easy Tips for Starting a Compost Pile
How to Get Started with Composting
Tips for Composting in the Winter
How to Make Fast and Easy Compost Pile Using Hay Bales
More Gardening Tips
- How to Start Square Foot Gardening
- Top 10 Organic Fertilizers
- How to Make a Straw Bale Garden
- How to Start a Plot Garden
- Companion Plant Gardening
- Vegetable Container Gardening
- Tips for Attracting Bees to Your Garden
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Minnie says
I am starting to compost for my gardening. I need guidelines to make sure I do it right.
VIJAYSHREE P JADHAV says
HI I AM INDIAN LADY 67 YEARS OLD WE COMPOST AT HOME IN INDIA LAST 20 YEARS I AM SUCCESS IN INDIA BUT IN BRAMPTON I AM NOT SUCCESS I MAKE COMPOST IN BRAMPTON BUT I NEED YOUR GUIDELINES PLEASE CAN YOU HELP ME AND HOW TO GROW VEGETABLES AT HOME IN WINTER
[email protected] says
Only you could make a pile of dirt look beautiful. 🙂 You are amazing!