“A compost pile on the ground is the best way to go. A lot of times new composters will use above-ground compost turners, but I’ve only seen those work for people who are avid composters and really know what they’re doing”.– Oz Kupoglu,Down To Earth Composting “Make sure you...
Electric composting is another new method you can try. It makes composting incredibly simple and quick using aFoodCycler machine. The FoodCycler sits right on your kitchen counter and rolls both your food scrap bucket and composting machine into one convenient device. All you have to do is plac...
Anytime you do yard chores, collect the debris in a bucket and dump it into the compost bin. This forms the "brown layer," which provides lots of the nitrogen necessary for the composting process. Word to the wise: Weeds will technically break down to become compost, but they are tough...
Incorporate it into your garden beds or sprinkle it on top. Remember, compost is not a replacement for your soil, but rather acts as a natural fertilizer to nurture your soil and plants, so add it a couple of times a year for best results. ...
You don’t even need a yard to compost… you can do it in as little as a 5-gallon bucket! To give you a place to start, we’ve provided a simple overview of how to build and manage a basic compost heap in your backyard. This is only one of many ways to compost, so if this...
Punch holes in the sides of the pile or push 1—to 2-foot lengths of hollow pipe into them to add air to the interior. Check the temperature of your hot composting pile with a thermometer. Credit: Alex_gor Your compost pile should start cooking within a week or so. Check the temperatu...
with fresh compost dirt coming out the bottom on a more or less continuous basis. These are the least labor-intensive of the composting methods, but are really only suitable for small-scale gardens (such as herb gardens, pot or bucket gardens, etc.) rather than for family-sized garden plot...
When it comes time to build your compost bin from scratch, get started with brown matter. It will create a solid base. Balz says, “Start with a foot or two of leaves in the bin—shredding them up and making them smaller will make them decompose faster.” Next, layer on your green...
Step 1 of the composting process is to collect compostable materials. Start with fruit and vegetable scraps from the kitchen. Yard waste is another great source of organic matter for the compost heap. Good compost piles have a mixture of carbon-rich “brown” ingredients and nitrogen-rich “gre...
Food scraps and trimmings left over from preparing meals are saved in a small, lidded tub or bucket that’s kept on the countertop. And while there are a wide variety of scraps that can be composted, you can’t use everything. Here’s a list of kitchen scraps that make great compost:...