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How to Make Compost – Help the Environment by Cutting Down on Garbage and Help Your Garden, Too!
By Winnie Abramson

Gardeners know that compost is a wonderful amendment to the soil. Fortunately, making compost isn’t hard. You can create a pile out of your kitchen scraps and yard waste pretty simply and eventually it will decompose without much input on your part.

There are many compost bins on the market and these are great if you don’t have a lot of extra room, you like to keep things neat and orderly, and if you don’t particularly want to look at an “ugly pile”. Bins/containers can also ensure that the contents get turned properly and heated optimally for good breakdown, so you will likely end up with a finished usable product sooner than if you just build a pile and let it sit there.

If you have an out-of-sight spot, though, a pile is the simplest and cheapest way to get the job done. And if you put in just a bit of work, you will see great results from your efforts.

For adequate heating, it is best to make a pile that is 3 feet by 3 feet. Water should be added to keep the pile as moist as a “wrung out sponge”. So keep it covered with a tarp if it’s raining a lot and it’s getting too wet, and water it with a hose when conditions are very dry.

Compost piles usually contain 1-2 parts green materials (high in nitrogen)- this means grass clippings, green plant trimmings, and food scraps (all fruit and veggie scraps, grains, organic tea and coffee, and eggshells can be added; experts say not to add meat, bones, dairy products, eggs or oils) to 1 part brown materials (high in carbon)- this means leaves, straw, hay, wood shavings, newspaper, and cardboard).

When building your pile, you should layer the greens and browns and add water to help jump start their breakdown. Then keep an eye on the moisture level and turn the contents with a pitchfork every week or two to make sure it continues to decompose evenly. The more you turn the materials over and get things stirred up, the faster it will decompose.

There are many websites that offer composting advice, as well as tips and techniques. These can be helpful to get things going, and they are a good place to turn if things don’t seem to be going well with your pile.

If you don’t have any land and/or you are looking for another way to recycle your food scraps, you can try using a worm bin. The original and best book on the subject of making compost with worms (vermiculture) is Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Appelhof.

Whichever way you choose to compost, know that all of your “green efforts” really do make a difference. Thanks for doing your part to save the environment, and enjoy the healthy soil you’ll create with your composting efforts!

Winnie Abramson, ND is a naturopathic doctor. She is the founder of http://www.healthy-green-lifestyle.com, a website that helps readers improve their health and decrease their environmental impact with holistic nutrition and green living tips, healthy recipes, organic gardening advice and photos, and links to eco-friendly companies. She also puts out a free monthly newsletter called “Healthy and Green”: you can sign up here!

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