Home Composting in 10 Easy Steps
- Get a refuse container or pail that you keep on the counter or under the sink.
- Post the list of compost matter in plain view.
- Get a compost bin from your municipality or nearby warehouse store, or better yet, make one yourself using wood (cedar), wire-mesh, bricks, etc.
- Using a shovel, turn the soil in the selected area. A sunny, well-drained area is the ideal spot for a compost bin.
- Cover the bottom of the composter with a 5 or 6 cm-layer of small, dry branches.
- On this bed of branches, place a layer of dead leaves or earth. This will allow air circulation and improve drainage.
- Layer 2 parts of carbon-rich matter (brown or dry matter) to 1 part of nitrogen-rich matter (green or wet mater).
- Add finished compost, gardening soil or newspaper to keep flies out of the compost bin.
- Aerate the compost pile using an aerator or a pitch fork once a week.
- Check the degree of humidity. Add water to the compost until the degree of humidity is similar to that of a damp sponge. Remember that it is always easier to add water than to remove it!
The final product will be rich, dark mulch that has a discernable smell of humus. Use it in your vegetable garden, flower beds, hanging baskets, around perennials, and on the grass. And give back to nature what it has given you!