Backyard Composting Techniques
The following techniques and tips will help
avoid problems and speed up the composting process.
Chop materials
if you want them to breakdown more quickly. The more
you chop, the faster the decomposition process will
be.
Mix, turn
or layer brown and green materials to avoid compaction
and provide oxygen to the pile. A good rule of thumb for a healthy
carbon to nitrogen balance is 50% to 70% green material
to 50% to 30% brown materials, per volume.
Activate your
pile by alternating layers of finished compost, soil,
or manure, between brown
and green layers to inoculate your pile with beneficial
microbes.
Maintain the
air & water
balance by keeping compost as moist as a wrung-out
sponge, and aerate pile by turning or creating air
shafts. As pile composts, it will shrink to half
its original size or less.
Food Wastes should
be covered up with dry materials, such as leaves, dirt,
or sawdust to avoid attracting rodents and fruit flies. Worm
bins and Home-made Food Scrap Composters are
ideal for composting food waste only.
Harvesting your
compost can be done a couple ways: 1) Move your bin
structure next to where it lies now. Move uncomposted materials back
into bin and harvest finished compost. Sift or
pick out any bigger unfinished pieces and put back
in pile. 2) If your bin has a harvesting door,
scoop out from the 
bottom. Sift if desired.
Underground Composting is
another form of composting that requires burying kitchen
and yard wastes in a 6 inch layer, a foot underground. Allow
a season for decomposition then plant, no harvesting
necessary!
Download publication 
Burying
Food Scraps to learn more about underground
composting.
Hot
Composting
For finished compost
in 1-3 months |
Add-As-You-Go
Composting
For finished compost
in 3-8 months |
- Hot composting works
well when you have enough brown and green
materials ready to build a pile that is at
least 3’tall x 3’wide
x 3’deep
- Hot composting requires
turning of the pile every 7-10 days, or when
temperature drops below 100 F. To kill most weed seeds and pathogens, the compost must remain at 131 degrees F for 15 days.
|
- Slow composting
works for people who: 1) lack the ingredients
to make a full pile. 2)
lack the time or ability to turn the compost
pile frequently
- Simply build the pile by alternating green
and brown materials as they become available!
|
Remember, the more
work you put into your pile the faster you will
get finished compost. Don't
worry, no matter how much or how little effort you
put in, nature will do its work - Compost Happens!
