The BackYard Composting Guide

Composting is the natural decomposition or breakdown of organic materials, such as yard and kitchen wastes, to produce a healthy soil amendment called humus. Humus is rich in plant nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium; the same ingredients in store bought fertilizers. Humus will help enhance such soil characteristics as the water holding capacity, texture, and overall soil structure.

The compost process, decomposition, takes place naturally on Earth by the normal activities of the Earth's natural recyclers: worms, insects, microorganisms, bacteria, and fungi. These recyclers are easy to care for and under appropriate conditions can increase the rate at which they will decompose organic materials.

It is as simple as browns and greens

The Earth's natural recyclers require a balance in their diet between carbon and nitrogen. This chemistry of composting is very simple to understand in terms of browns and greens. Brown wastes are high in carbon and green wastes are high in nitrogen. The optimal balance for composting is 2 parts Brown to 1 part Green.

Avoid Adding Into Your Compost Pile: Meat & Bones, Dairy Products, Pet Wastes, Cooked Foods, and Yard Wastes with Herbicides & Pesticides.

The rate at which humus is made will depend on the size and type of materials used, moisture content, oxygen, and temperature inside the pile. Depending on the intended use for the finished material the amount of maintenance you provide the compost pile may be minimal.

Tips to increase Humus production:

• Reduce the size of large or bulky materials. This will expose more of the materials' surface area to air and water, and increase the available nutrients for the recyclers to survive and reproduce.
• Add finished compost into a new compost pile to increase the number of initial recyclers at work in your pile.
• By turning your compost pile every three-four weeks it will:

  1. Keep the compost pile within the optimal temperature range (105-150 Fahrenheit).
  2. Provide good air circulation through the pile.
  3. Mix the available nutrients and increases particle surface area.
  4. Help to maintain a damp environment.

The Set-Up

A new compost pile should be set-up in layers in order to provide a mixture of nutrients spread throughout the pile. This will assist the recyclers to become active throughout the pile as well. After the initial set-up of the pile, new materials may be added when turning the pile.

1. 1/4 inch bottom layer of finished material (optional). It is not necessary to add organisms to a new compost pile to get it started. The Earth's recyclers will naturally find their way in.
2. Spread into layers 2 parts by mass Browns and 1 part by mass Greens.
3. The moisture content of the pile should be as damp as a wrung out sponge (50-60%).
4. The structure of the compost pile can often control the amount of air passage through the pile.

• An open compost pile should be stacked into the shape of a pyramid.
• An enclosed compost pile can vary in shape and size while helping to maintain the general shape of the pile. This type of pile can usually be constructed at home for just a few dollars.

Build a home composter using small grid fencing (plastic or metal) such as,

5 feet diameter

1/2 inch x 1/2 inch mesh - 24 inch high x 10 feet long

Preventive Maintenance (trouble shooting)

• Always bury any type of food waste within the pile to reduce the chance of pest and animal problems.
• High nitrogen levels (Green Wastes) may give an odor but can be corrected by adding more carbon.
• Low oxygen levels will cause nitrogen fixation to occur and permeate the air with ammonia gas. To reduce the chance of an ammonia odor (smells like rotten eggs) turn your compost pile every few weeks.
• Temperatures greater than 130 Fahrenheit for a few days will kill any weed seeds, fly larvae, and pathogens that may have been present. You can check the temperature of your compost pile using any cooking thermometer.

Finished compost is crumbly and will have a consistent black color with a sweet smell. The temperature of the compost/humus will have cooled to around the temperature of the outside air.

If you plan to use your compost indoors you should stack the soil in rows a few inches high for a few days to allow any bugs to migrate elsewhere.

Compost for the garden should be sifted to separate any large bulky materials that may still be present. Large pieces of material may interfere with plant root growth.

Compost as a mulch does not require any preparation and can be spread in layers around trees, under bushes, and in flower beds. It will help to control weeds, erosion, water evaporation, and maintain even soil temperatures.

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