Complete Guide To Home Composting

The Complete Guide
to Home Composting
The Simple Steps To Making Compost At Home
(NO MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE, AND WHY YOU SHOULD)
JOE LAMP’L
© 2017 joe gardener 1 joegardener.com
Table
- of -
Contents
ABOUT THIS GUIDE 3
WHAT IS COMPOST AND WHY DOES IT WORKS SO WELL? 5
THE MANY BENEFITS OF COMPOST 8
HOW TO MAKE COMPOST WITHOUT GETTING BOGGED DOWN

IN THE DETAILS 9
IT’S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE 10
JUST FOUR INGREDIENTS 13
RECIPE FOR GREAT HOMEMADE COMPOST 13
QUESTIONABLE CHARACTERS 15
What Not to Add 16
Using Wood Ash in Compost 16
Inoculants and Accelerators - Are They Worth It? 18
Organic Fertilizer Supplements in Compost 19
Newspapers, Magazines And Glossy Circulars 21
Manure: What To Know Before Adding It To Compost 22
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE FINISHED COMPOST?

(AND HOW TO MAKE IT FASTER) 24
THE SMALLER THE BETTER 27
JOE’S TOP 5 TIPS FOR QUICK COMPOST 28
WHEN IS COMPOST READY TO USE? 28
WHERE TO PLACE YOUR COMPOST PILE 29
© 2017 joe gardener joegardener.com

OPEN VS. CLOSED SYSTEMS 31
PASSIVE AND FORCED-AIR COMPOSTING 34
HOT VS. COLD COMPOSTING 35
PUTTING COMPOST TO WORK (WHEN, HOW, WHERE) 37

SIFTING OR SCREENING COMPOST 40
TWO BINS ARE BETTER THAN ONE 41
HOW TO USE WHEN YOU ONLY HAVE A LITTLE 43
COMPOST TEA 43
HOW TO STORE FINISHED COMPOST 44
CHALLENGES WITH COMPOSTING 45

KEEPING UP WITH ROUTINE & MAKING IT A FAMILY AFFAIR 46
COMPOSTING IN WINTER 47
INDOOR COMPOSTING 48
ODOR 52
CRITTER CONTROL 54
DETERRING FIRE ANTS 55
DEALING WITH FLIES 55
PLASTIC BINS AND TIRES: ARE THEY HARMFUL? 56
HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED (AND WHERE TO GET MORE)? 57

WHERE TO BUY AND BUYING COMPOST IN BULK 58
BEFORE YOU BUY 60
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION 61
DIY COMPOST SIFTER: HOW TO EASILY MAKE YOUR OWN 62
DIY PALLET COMPOST BIN: BUILDING A 3-BIN SYSTEM 64
WHAT CAN BE COMPOSTED: COMPREHENSIVE LIST 68

BEST CONDITIONS FOR MAKING RAPID COMPOST 70
CARBON-TO-NITROGEN RATIO (C:N) CHART 70
TROUBLESHOOTING 72

About
- this -
Guide
Feed the soil and let the soil feed the plants. It’s one of my forever mantras in the garden. The soil in my
beds is the best part of my garden, and the main reason everything I plant there thrives. I attribute that to
the faithful addition of compost twice each year.
Of all the ingredients I could add to my garden to make it grow and thrive,
without a doubt the single most important input is compost. It’s my not-so-
secret ingredient to the health of my vegetable garden, landscape plants,
thriving lawn and anything growing under my watch.

And the best part is that I make most of what I need at home for free.
Yet composting seems to be an ever-elusive practice. Many would-be

participants either never get started, or quit too soon due to the unfounded
fear that the process is just too complicated. I find that so unfortunate. Nothing
could be farther from the truth and what inspired me to write this eBook.
This project started out as a short article on backyard composting for my blog. By the
time I looked up from my keyboard, it had morphed into several thousand words—
too long for a blog post but too short to tell the whole story. So I kept writing.
As I neared the end of my first draft, I decided to send an email to my online

community of joegardener.com members, asking them what they wanted to
know about composting. Within 30 minutes, I had over 100 responses. And
the replies kept coming. It was like a scrolling ticker on the stock exchange. A
steady stream of emails started rolling in. When the rush had subsided, I had
nearly 1,000 replies!
In hindsight, I’m so glad I decided to ask. I almost didn’t, assuming I already

knew what the questions were. I thought I’d heard them all. I hadn’t. So, this
book is dedicated to all of you who took the time to send me your questions,
and to all of you who are past, present, or future composters.
As you’ll learn, compost is the single best amendment we can put into our garden
soil. It’s also one of the best and easiest things we can do to help the environment,
keep waste out of the landfill and reduce the impact of climate change. The
principles of making compost are the same, no matter where you live.
So, thanks to all of you for your replies to my email, and for reading this book. If you
like it (or not), please let me know. And most of all, please share this with your friends,
garden club, etc. and encourage them to join our joe gardener community too.
We’re all in this together. Thanks for being a part of it.

What is Compost
and Why Does it Work
so Well?
This is a small garden on the side of my carport. Knowing that everything I’m growing and feeding my family
is clean, free of nasty pesticides and chemicals, and completely safe for my family and the wildlife that visit
is the best feeling ever. And I have homemade compost to thank for that.
I am always amazed at how a compost pile can go from a heap of recognizable

raw material to the most beautiful rich, dark, earthy soil that becomes nature’s
super food for plants. With all this talk about compost, what is compost exactly,
and what is it that makes it the best soil amendment you can add in to your
garden?

In the simplest terms, compost is decomposed organic matter that is used as
a soil amendment and fertilizer, especially in organic gardening and farming.
How it gets to this finished state is through the process of composting-- the
biological process in which microorganisms convert organic materials such as
leaves, paper, grass clippings, food scraps and manure into the soil-like material
called compost.
Beyond bacteria and fungi (the microorganisms and main players in the
decomposition process), there are many other living creatures that play an
important role in breaking down organic matter. This complex interaction
taking place is often referred to as soil food web.
It consists of an incredible diversity of organisms that make up the cast of

characters breaking down all that matter into compost. They range in size from
the tiniest one-celled bacteria, algae, fungi, and protozoa, to the more complex
nematodes (microscopic worms), arthropods (invertebrate animals including
springtails, beetles, ants, spiders and centipedes), earthworms, insects, and
small vertebrates.
Compost includes all the materials necessary for plant growth, including
trace elements and humic acid, an important ingredient that helps make plant
nutrients available. The nutrients that become available during this progressive
decomposition process are contained and stored within the bodies of all the
organisms (living and dead) that worked to make it so, as well as the humus
created in the process.
Those nutrients are then released over a slow period because they are chemically
bound to soil particles, making them resistant to leaching (rather than all at
once as with water-soluble fertilizer).
Beyond the nutritional benefits, compost improves the physical, chemical, and
biological properties of any soil. It improves the water-holding capacity of
sandy soil and improves the drainage and aeration of dense soil.

It contains beneficial fungicides and organisms that help suppress disease-
causing organisms by either killing or inhibiting them.
While we know a lot about the science behind why compost works so well for
improving soil and aiding in plant growth, we still have much to learn.
There’s one other term that comes up quite

often when you start talking about compost:
humus. Think of humus as the best part of
compost. It’s the holy grail of why we compost.
Suffice it to say, humus is the relatively stable
end-product of composting. It is that rich, dark,
earthy organic matter that is high in nutrients
and most beneficial to the soil and any plants
growing in it.
Humus has two main advantages. First, when

Worms are just one of many creatures
that make up a healthy soil food
mixed with native soil, it forms a loosely-
web to decompose all the organic structured soil mixture of varying particle sizes
matter that eventually becomes
compost and vermicompost. Yet (particulates) that create the opportunity for
their contribution to what makes air and water to freely move through it, allowing
compost truly amazing is second to
none. soil organisms and plant roots to more easily
access these important elements.
This same structure allows the humus-rich soil to act like a sponge, soaking up
water and storing it to be released later. This increases the moisture-holding
capacity in soil while reducing runoff and soil erosion.
Second, humus contains chemical elements that feed the plants and neutralize
toxins. These elements chemically bind (lock up) heavy metals that can
otherwise make it difficult for plants to take up important nutrients.

The Many Benefits
of Compost
You would be hard-pressed to think of anything else you can put in your garden
that does more than compost to improve growing conditions and more. If you
ever needed a list of some of compost’s most beneficial attributes, here it is:
• Enhances soil tilth (the physical condition of the soil)

• Improves soil structure and porosity (creating a better plant root
environment)
• Increases moisture infiltration and permeability
• Reduces erosion and runoff
• Filters out and/or binds contaminants that might be contained in surface
water
• Improves the moisture-holding capacity of light soils
• Supplies organic matter
• Supplies and aids the proliferation of microorganisms
• Encourages vigorous root growth
• Allows plants to more effectively utilize nutrients
• Reduces nutrient loss by leaching and enables soils to retain nutrients
longer
• Improves soil fertility
• Destroys or suppresses many soil pathogens
• Neutralizes toxins (soil organic matter can chemically bind, or lock up,
heavy metals)
• Reduces the amount of solid waste going to landfills
• Reduces greenhouse gas emissions

How to Make
Compost
( Without Getting Bogged Down In The Details )

It’s Not Rocket Science
A simple heap of organic matter from inside and outside the house can create the most amazing
compost that’s ready to use in only a matter of months. This pile lived in shade and reached
sustained temperatures of 149 degrees F. for several weeks. You don’t need anything fancy to
make amazing compost.
With compost being so well-known as the key input to a thriving garden, I

often wonder why more people don’t compost at home. Even a small backyard
pile will go a long way.
I believe a big reason is that would-be composters don’t know where to start or
become quickly overwhelmed. And that’s a shame, because it simply doesn’t
have to be that way.
In nature, compost happens without any help from us. It’s simply the natural

decomposition of organic matter over time by billions of microorganisms
(bacteria and fungi mostly). To be sure, converting organic matter from its initial
form to finished compost can be a very slow process. But we gardeners are
generally a very impatient bunch. We want compost yesterday, not tomorrow!
Fortunately, there are a few simple things we can do to speed up the process.
While the science behind composting can get quite heady, home composters
just don’t need to get bogged down in such details. Information abounds
about the optimal carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (a.k.a., the brown-to-green ratio) to
accelerate the composting process, for example. And that stops many would-
be composters dead in their tracks. I believe it’s one of the biggest impediments
to getting started with home composting.
That said, having a good balance of browns to greens is indeed important for
producing good compost quicker. Think of it like us having a balanced diet of
nutrients in our body. Too much of one type, while not enough of the other, can
have an impact on how our bodies function and how healthy we are.
The same is true during the composting process. The stars of the show in
making compost are the billions of microorganisms breaking down all the raw
inputs that consist of carbon and nitrogen. The microbes need some of both.
The closer you are to the proper ratio, combined with sufficient oxygen and
moisture, and the billions of soil microbes will work fast and furious to break
down the organic material as they consume the carbon and nitrogen. It’s this
activity that generates the heat found in a compost heap during the composting
process. The hotter the heap, the more in-balance your material is, and the
faster it breaks down.
So what is the ideal carbon-to-nitrogen ratio? I will reluctantly tell you it’s about
25:1. But don’t glaze over here. While it does absolutely help in the speed of
decomposition, your compost will eventually break down anyway.

If you’re curious about which ingredients are considered carbon-based vs.
nitrogen-based, I have provided a list at the back of this guide of some of the
most common ingredients (along with their respective ratios) one might add
to a compost pile. Yet it still won’t tell the whole story. You can find it in an
online search, but not here. It’s information overload and we’re breaking down
the barriers to getting started, not putting them up.
MORE ON TEMPERATURE
So how hot is hot enough for compost to

happen, even a little? While composting does
take place down to as low as 50 degrees F
(the lower end of the mesophilic range, 50 -
113 degrees F), you’ll be waiting a long time for
the finished product. The fastest composting
takes place above 113 degrees F (the lower end
of the thermophilic range, 113 – 158 degrees F).
In addition, higher sustained temperatures are
necessary to destroy many of the undesirable
elements in compost, such as pathogens, weed
From the steamy compost picture
above, it doesn’t take anything
seed, and fly larvae.
special beyond providing the right
ingredients to make hot, steamy
compost. Having a compost So here’s the best news: making compost is not
thermometer can really open rocket science. In fact, making compost might
your eyes to what’s happening at
the core, and provide important be the easiest thing you do when it comes
information to help you fine-tune
to gardening or growing. So don’t burden
it.
yourself with the science behind the details. In
my decades of making great compost, I’ve never – ever—geeked out about the
ideal ratio. I make amazing, quick compost by just sticking to the basics and I’ll
teach you how to do the same.
Allow me to walk you through the process and simplicity of making your own
compost at home.

Just Four Ingredients
Imagine having a recipe that required only four ingredients to make the most
awesome dish you’ve ever had. Even better, that recipe allowed for tons of
substitutions. If you didn’t have one thing, you could substitute something else.
And then, it didn’t require precise measurements, or even a certain temperature
or cooking time.
Making compost is that simple—a four-ingredient recipe for the most awesome
Recipe for Great Homemade Compost

amendment to make everything growing in your garden grow better.
INGREDIENTS: Air, Water, Carbon (browns) and Nitrogen (greens)
TO PREPARE:
1. Combine generous portions of all ingredients and allow to cook outdoors
for several months.
2. Continue to add ingredients until pile is approximate 4’ x 4’ x 4’.
3. Mix often (every week is good) and add water to moisten (about like a
damp sponge).
Compost is ready to serve when the ingredients are unrecognizable, the internal
temperature is ambient, and the contents smell rich and earthy. Add to existing
garden soil at about 30% by volume and mix into the top four inches of any
garden bed.

MORE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS
When you understand that compost is made up of billions of beneficial

microscopic living organisms, it’s easy to see why air and water would be key
ingredients to sustaining life, even for the smallest forms of life.
Yet it’s this oxygen and moisture that allows them, and other organisms in
the process, to utilize the other two ingredients -- carbon and nitrogen -- to
biodegrade the raw material into finished compost.
AIR (OXYGEN, REALLY): Microorganisms can’t live without it. It’s that simple.
WATER: When it comes to remembering how wet your compost should be,
think in terms of making and keeping it at the moisture level of a damp sponge.
Now, if you want to know a little more, read on.
The organisms consuming the organic material

in your compost pile cannot survive without
moisture. It’s also responsible for providing
the medium for the chemical reactions and
the mode of transport for both the nutrients
and the microorganisms.
If you had a way of knowing the moisture

content in your pile was between 40 and 65%,
you’d be in the ideal range for water content.
But in the real world, that’s easier said than
Greens and browns (reduced to small
pieces), kept moist, and aerated by done. A simple way of knowing is to take a
turning once a week or so goes a handful of compost and squeeze it. If water
long way to making compost quickly.
drains from your hand, it’s too wet. Conversely,
if it does not feel moist or bind together when
squeezed, it’s too dry.

Keeping your composting material consistently moist is a major factor in making
compost faster.
THE RAW MATERIAL: Fortunately, you don’t have to know anything about
science to figure out how to get a reasonable balance of the carbon (browns)
and nitrogen (greens) into the mix. I think in terms of anything that came from
the earth originally in some living plant form (no matter what it is today) is
biodegradable and can be added into your composting system. And that’s
pretty much my guide for considering what I put into my compost.
It also helps to know that all organic matter has varying amounts of both brown
(carbon) and green (nitrogen) matter.
Common examples of brown waste ingredients include dried leaves, small

twigs, yard debris, coffee grounds, shredded paper and newspapers, paper
towel rolls and brown paper bags.
Common examples of green waste include fresh grass clippings, plant trimmings
and food scraps such as vegetables and salad greens.
(For a comprehensive list of compostable ingredients, check out the reference

at the back of this book.)
Questionable Characters
A few common things you might be tempted to add to your compost should
be avoided. (I should note some composters I know don’t subscribe to the
following rules. But they are expert composters and consistently get their
compost cooking hot enough to neutralize or eliminate the risks). If you want
to play it safe, keep these out of your compost:

What Not to Add
FROM OUTSIDE
• Weeds going to seed (you don’t want weed seeds surviving only to sprout
in your garden compost next spring).
• Diseased plants. While it’s possible the diseases won’t over-winter, the
safe bet is to leave them out of your compost ingredients.
• Animal waste (from carnivores).
• Chemically-treated plants and grass. While most consumer lawn and
garden chemicals break down rather quickly when exposed to the
elements, some do not. In fact, they’re very persistent. If you want to
avoid the risk of chemicals making it back into your garden, then simply
keep them out of your compost pile to begin with.
WHAT NOT TO ADD FROM INSIDE
Animal products. This includes meat, bones, grease and dairy. Reasons to keep
these away from your compost include the risk of potential disease pathogens,
short term odor, and critter attractant. While all can be composted, that
doesn’t mean you should. In home systems, lean toward the conservative side,
especially when starting out.
Using Wood Ash in Compost

With the abundance of wood ash many of us deal with, especially in winter, this
question always arises: can you put it in your compost pile?
The quick but qualified answer is yes, but only in moderation. While wood ash
does have beneficial properties, it also can impact overall soil quality in an
adverse way.

On the positive side, wood ash is high in potassium, phosphorus, calcium,
boron, and other important nutrients plants need to grow. But it’s also free of
nitrogen and very alkaline, which will raise the pH level in your compost or soil.
Unless you have acidic soil to begin with, you don’t want to make alkaline soil
even more so.
The pH of finished compost hovers around neutral (7.0). But adding an

abundance of wood ash periodically throughout the composting cycle can
raise the overall compost pH level into the alkaline range above what most
plants need to thrive, even to a detrimental level. If you want to add some to
your compost, do so, but only a small amount that you can mix in thoroughly
to avoid high concentrations.
So if you can’t or shouldn’t add it to your compost, what can you do with it?

The easiest way to distribute a large amount of ashes all at once is to sprinkle
them lightly and evenly over your lawn. Most lawns prefer a neutral pH. And
many soils tend toward the acidic side. That’s why the recommendation for
adding lime for lawn health is so common. It’s an easy way to raise the soil pH.
And wood ash will do that also, but you’ll need about twice as much compared
to lime.
Similarly, you can do the same thing around your trees, especially fruit trees,
and particularly apples.
But don’t apply wood ash around acid-loving plants such as blueberries,
rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, and many native woodland plants.
Finally, before spreading ashes anywhere, get a soil test to know what your
current soil pH is. The ash that you spread will raise the pH of the surrounding
area. You may not need that. And don’t use ash from charcoal briquettes, or
fake logs anywhere if you want to avoid the extra chemicals that these contain.
At the very least, don’t add them to your compost.

Inoculants and Accelerators:
Are They Worth it?
While Mother Nature and her workers do an amazing job of decomposing
organic matter without our help, we’re an impatient bunch. In this day of nearly
instant everything, we want our compost to be that, too. But the fact remains,
composting is a process that can take a few to many months to finish in the
home environment.
Even so, there are products marketed and sold that are said to speed up the
process. Such additions are known as activators or accelerators. By definition,
they are any substance that stimulates biological decomposition.
Inorganic, synthetic versions of activators are nitrogen-rich, chemically-

synthesized compounds commonly found in fertilizers. These ingredients
include ammonia, ammonium sulfate, urea and phosphate.
However, my opinion on synthetic activators is this: Why would you add these
to your organic compost? It just goes against the spirit of building soil health,
which comes from compost created the natural way.
Commonly-used natural activators are microorganism inoculants. When added

to feedstock, they are believed to help break down organic matter faster.
However, most studies have shown that adding these are unnecessary. The
lack of microorganisms is rarely a problem as they are naturally present in
abundance nearly all the time.
A second approach to making compost quicker is by providing extra food for

the existing microbes in the form of nitrogen-rich material.
Some of the most common organic, nitrogen-rich food activators include

manure, dried blood meal and urine. Even so, the only time I use an inoculant

or activator is when I add a large supply of fresh material. My organic addition
of choice to help stimulate additional microbial decomposition, especially at
this earliest stage, is existing compost from a neighboring bin.
Build your compost the way I discuss throughout this guide and you will have
compost as quickly as possible without the need for supplemental accelerators.
If you find your in-process compost is cooling down and stalling out, the addition
of nitrogen-rich organic ingredients, along with turning and added moisture,
can help jump start a stalled pile.
The bottom line is this: focus on the basics of creating a healthy, balanced
composting environment. That is what best determines how quickly feedstock
becomes finished compost.
Organic Fertilizer Supplements in Compost

There are two questions I frequently get from new and experienced composters:
“What can I add to compost to enhance nutrient levels?” and “Should I
supplement composted beds with fertilizer?”
Regarding the first question, the greater the variety of materials used to make
compost, the greater the diversity of nutrients within the finished product,
including minor elements and micronutrients. If you add a diverse array of
ingredients to make your compost, you should have a balanced, nutrient-rich
amendment that is sufficient to feed your soil and plants all the elements they
need to thrive.
In my case, I never supplement existing compost in the making with additional

organic nutrients. However, if you feel the need, there’s no harm if doing so in
moderation and using organic inputs.

SOME OF THE MOST COMMON ORGANIC PRIMARY NUTRIENTS THAT
COULD BE ADDED TO COMPOST INCLUDE:
1. NITROGEN: Dried blood, blood meal, cottonseed meal, fish emulsion and

seaweed extract
2. PHOSPHORUS: Bone meal, rock phosphate
3. POTASSIUM: Greensand, sulfate of potash
Regarding the question about adding organic fertilizer to composted beds, my

answer to this question is similar to the first. While you could apply additional
fertilizer, you don’t need to but it won’t hurt under the right conditions. That
said, I would not add synthetic, salt-based fertilizers. The main premise of using
compost is to feed the soil so the soil can feed the plants. Adding synthetic
fertilizers will feed the plants, but not the soil. In fact, it can have a detrimental
impact on the soil due to the high salt content.
There are occasions where I do add some organic liquid fish emulsion to newly
planted seedlings, or to provide a mid-season boost to my vegetable garden.
Other times I provide a light application of a slow-release organic nitrogen
fertilizer (I use Milorganite) to boost the nutrient capacity in the soil and get
my new seedlings off to a fast start.
While compost contains a wide array of nutrients, the biggest benefit is in its
ability to improve the quality of soil and facilitate what nature does best when
given the best conditions. Compost does that. The supplemental nutrients I
occasionally add do not detract from what compost is doing. It simply adds an
additional and complementary boost of organic nutrients.

Newspapers, Magazines, Copy Paper
and Glossy Circulars
Unlike inks commonly used decades
ago that contained heavy metals, most
newspapers today use water- or vegetable-
based inks. While these may contain small
amounts of toxic compounds, the trace
amounts are below the levels to be of
toxicological concern.
One of my favorite ingredients for the

compost bin is shredded paper from emails,
junk mail, bills, bank statements, etc. A
good shredder cuts them down to very
small pieces. Within two weeks of hitting
the compost heap, they’re unrecognizable.
However, some caution should still be used

with magazines, which sometimes use
I love emptying the contents of my
heavy metal based inks to produce vivid
shredder whenever it gets full. It’s such colors and plastic-like coatings to make it
an easy way to bulk up the ingredients
of your carbon/brown source of organic bright and glossy. Fortunately, magazines
matter. The best part, I diverted it from make a great contribution to the recycle
the landfill and this paper becomes
unrecognizable within two weeks. bin so that’s exactly where they should go,
instead of the compost bin.

Manure: What You Need to Know
Before Adding it to Compost
One of the most readily-available
ingredients for compost is livestock manure.
While it’s high in nitrogen and nutrient rich,
manure should be added to compost only
in moderation. Excess manure can be set
aside in any sized pile to compost on its
own.
While not all manure consists of the same

nutrient makeup, generally they are similar
and all are hot when fresh, meaning high
levels of nitrogen that can harm plants if
used immediately. Composting manure
first is a great way to mellow this effect and
get a cold compost pile cooking again.
Another word of caution when considering

Chicken manure and bedding is a using manure in your compost is the likely
fantastic, hot source of nitrogen and inclusion of weed seeds. Grazing animals
carbon. I make a weekly deposit to my
pile from our coop. It’s the single biggest invariably will consume weeds in their diet
reason my compost breaks down so which will make it into the manure. Unless
fast. It’s also a great way to boost the
nitrogen that plants need to thrive. your compost gets very hot, those seeds
may not be killed off and therefore persist
to germinate wherever you distribute your
finished compost.

I would be remiss if I did not warn you against the potential hazards of using
horse manure tainted with persistent herbicides. They will not break down in
your compost pile. It’s a very sad and unfortunate situation for home gardeners
but a very real possibility for anyone using horse manure. It can kill or severely
maim certain garden plants, especially tomatoes. It happened to me and I knew
better.
If you’d like to learn more about what I

call “killer compost,” I’ve addressed that
thoroughly in separate posts where you can
learn much more, including how to easily
test composted manure before adding it to
compost or in your garden beds. I highly
recommend you read up on this if you ever
think about using horse manure in your
compost or garden.
Finally, never add manure from any

carnivorous creature. That especially
I immediately knew the mistake I had
made of adding composted, persistent includes dogs, cats and, yes, humans. Very
herbicide-tainted manure to my garden dangerous pathogens can be found in this
beds as soon as I saw how it impacted
my plants. Wilted, distorted, or stunted that are absent from herbivorous animals.
growth is a sure sign pesticides have
disrupted their normal growth. It took
me three years to finally deactivate the
efficacy of these persistent herbicides
from impacting my plants.

How Long
Does It Take to
Make Finished
Compost?
( And How To Make It Faster )

This is a typical compost bin by my garden. The chicken bedding dominates the contents much of the
year. I’m not complaining, though. It breaks down quickly and gives my plants everything they need. I have
ready-to-use compost from raw material in about 3 months.
Suffice it to say, composting happens fastest when the conditions that encourage
the growth of microorganisms (which eat the organic matter) are established
and maintained. Yet many aspects of composting are far from precise.
The process of composting and the rate at which organic matter breaks down
to compost can vary greatly. That can range from about 8 weeks in optimal
conditions (rarely achieved in a backyard environment), to at least several
months, generally 6 to 12 and even longer if you’re an absentee composter.
The good news is that you can play a significant role in how quickly your
compost is ready.
As I mentioned earlier in this discussion, for compost to happen it just needs

four ingredients: air, water, carbon and nitrogen. As long as you have a good
blend of the browns (carbon) and greens (nitrogen), keep your pile turned
or mixed up every week or so (more is better), and keep it moist like a damp
sponge (but never saturated), your compost ingredients will have all they need
to break down quickly. The more you turn it and make sure it has moisture, the
quicker it will break down.
Remember that it’s the microorganisms that are consuming the organic matter
and converting it to compost. But those organisms consume vast amounts of
oxygen first. Without oxygen, the aerobic decomposition process slows and
can eventually stop. Therefore, a steady supply of oxygen must be provided
since the microorganisms consume it quickly.
When we turn or mix compost material in our bin or pile, it adds back a quick
supply of oxygen and increases pore space, allowing air to move through easier.
As oxygen becomes scarce, internal temperatures within compost material fall
as microbial activity decreases. The best way to remedy this condition is to
turn the pile again. That introduces more oxygen and stimulates new, even
intense microbial activity and temperatures will rise again if organisms are still
present to consume the material.
Conversely, if you’re a lazy composter (which is fine), where you don’t turn
your pile often (if at all), and you don’t spray it with water consistently, your
pile will still break down, albeit much slower.
Even under ideal conditions, the ingredients added to create your compost
will also affect how quickly it breaks down. Woody material for example takes
longer to decompose due to the presence of lignin (a complex organic polymer
found in the cell walls of many plants, making them rigid and woody).

The Smaller the Better
Decomposition happens on the physical
surface of whatever ingredient is added.
So to help speed up the process, breaking
down the particle sizes before adding them
to your compost will increase the surface
area of the material. The smaller the pieces
going in, the quicker they break down.
This especially applies to sticks, twigs, and
paper and cardboard products since they
tend to start out large and are inherently
slow to break down anyway. So before
tossing each ingredient into your bin,
Whenever I can, I like to break up the big
stuff or shred what I can by running over
break it up, cut it down, chop it up or shred
the ingredients with a mower equipped it. While it’s certainly not a requirement, it
with a bagging attachment. That’s what
makes up what you see here—mostly grass
makes a big difference.
and leaves. It’s perfect for composting.
Although this is the start of the pile, it
There is one more bit of advice that will help
quickly builds up with more like this, and
you reach a quicker rate of decomposition.
breaks down just as fast—just as you want
it to.
Getting your compost pile to an optimal
size helps tremendously. The ideal and most practical and attainable size of a
general backyard compost heap is about 4’ x 4’ x 4’.
If it’s too big, there’s more mass to break down. While that doesn’t always
correlate to slower composting, in the backyard scenario, it usually does.
Conversely, if your pile is too small, there’s not enough critical mass for the
microorganisms to break down the inputs as efficiently.
Once your inputs get to the optimal level, stop adding new ingredients to the
existing pile and start a new one close by. More on that later.

Joe’s Top 5 Tips for Quick Compost
1. Add all the organic material you can from inside and outside the house
to rapidly build up the mass of your pile to an approximate size of 4’ x 4’
x 4’. (See list at the back of this guide for compostable ingredients.)
2. Keep the ingredients small or reduce their size to break down faster.
3. Seek out extra ingredients to build up your feedstock faster (coffee
shop grounds and vegetable culls from the produce department are my
favorite ways to do that quickly).
4. Find someone who raises chickens or rabbits who will give you their
bedding. It’s a great source of carbon and nitrogen.
5. Mix the ingredients often and every time you mix, spray with water.
When is Compost Ready to Use?

The composting process of
converting raw material to finished
compost does not stop until all
sources of available carbon have
been exhausted. While you won’t
be able to know when this happens,
you can safely assume compost is
ready to use is once two things
have occurred:
First, you can no longer recognize

any of the original ingredients. It
This is the very compost that came from the pallet bin
in the previous picture. It’s obviously quite different
should look and smell rich and
than how it started. But mix it right with greens and earthy, rather than any distinctive
browns, keep it moist, and turn it every so often. In
a few short months, you will have compost that looks
or offensive odor. However, this
like this. alone is not a sufficient indicator.

Ingredients during the composting process can achieve this stage well before
stability is reached.
Second, the sustained temperature of the compost ingredients has reached

ambient levels at the core, even after turning and sufficient moisture is present.
It should be noted that even though a pile can smell and look earthy, and
temperatures are sustained near ambient levels, that does not ensure it’s
finished if moisture is absent from the pile. The best way to know compost has
stabilized is to turn the pile again while ensuring it has sufficient moisture. Then
re-check the internal temperature after about a day. If the reading is close to
ambient temperature, stability has been reached and you can start using your
compost.
Now, if you’re a very patient gardener, allowing your compost to rest for about a
month beyond this point can have added benefits including more beneficial and
disease-fighting microorganisms and humus (the star ingredient of compost).
Where to Place Your Compost Pile

(Does it Have to be in a Sunny Place?)
Since heat is a big part of what happens in an active, living compost pile, most
people assume that the most logical placement of their pile or bin is in a sunny
spot. The truth is, while that won’t hurt, it has little to do with why compost
really gets hot. Shady locations (like mine) work just as well with internal core
temperatures reaching 150 degrees F.
The heat that builds up and releases during the active process of composting
is directly related to the activity and energy of billions of microorganisms
busily moving about and consuming and breaking down all that organic matter
around them.

In fact, with the right ingredients in the mix,
even with a brand-new pile, you may notice
a temperature change within a few hours
as the microbial activity starts to happen.
A hot pile is the best indicator of an active
composting process.
Over the first few weeks, composting

material will heat up to between 120-150
degrees F and hold there for several weeks
This is about as close to the house as during the active composting process.
you can get. It’s certainly convenient
and it doesn’t smell. It’s also not in full
As decomposition slows, temperatures
sun. Nor does it have to be. gradually fall to about 110 and ultimately to
ambient temperature.
While direct sunlight can certainly make an exposed compost pile feel warmer,
the hottest part of a healthy heap is at its core. With the proper balance of the big
four -- air, water, carbon and nitrogen -- internal temperatures can exceed 160
degrees F. in a commercial operation. That’s because professional composting
operations have it down to a science, literally. They can dial in and fine-tune
the perfect combination to achieve very high heat levels (which is great for
speeding up the decomposition process, and killing harmful pathogens and
noxious weed seeds).
In the home setting, it’s unlikely we can ever get that “just-right” combination.
But fear not. You don’t need to. In my composting piles and bins, I consistently
am able to get to about 150 degrees F. That’s plenty hot for making quick
compost in about 4 months.
CONVENIENCE IS KEY
So where is the ideal spot to place your compost? Wherever is convenient.

You need it to be close enough so you’ll make frequent visits to it for making
deposits of new feedstock. You also need it to be within reach of a hose since
spraying it with water periodically is very important.
The closer it is to your daily backyard traffic pattern, the more you’ll make those
brief but oh-so-important stops for the periodic attention that dramatically
helps you achieve your composting goal quicker.
While convenience is key, you may also want to consider placing it where it’s
not in plain view or in the direct line of site of your neighbor’s window. While I
personally don’t find any compost bin or heap to be unsightly, beauty is in the
eye of the beholder. The old saying, “one man’s trash is another’s treasure,” is
certainly fitting in this case.
The bottom line is this: place your composting station in a place that is
convenient enough that you will visit it consistently (if you intend to be an active
composter). Make sure you still have access to water, but not so close to your
neighbors where sight or smell could be an issue. While there is the unlikely
but potential issue of odor, albeit short-lived, others could find it objectionable.
Open vs. Closed Systems

If you’d like to start composting but you’re
not sold on having an open pile or heap in
the back corner of your yard for whatever
reason, I have very good news.
Whatever your objection for not composting,

be it the fear of attracting critters, odor, or
just having a pile of biodegradable organic
matter within view of you or your neighbors,
there is a solution—a closed-bin system.

In a closed-bin system, all the ingredients for making compost are contained in
a closed environment with a tight-fitting lid. In such a system, critters can’t get
in, odors don’t get out, and there’s no open pile of organic matter for anyone
to see. Just a benign barrel-like device, typically mounted on a stand.
While these benefits should certainly

eliminate any of the primary concerns for
not composting, there’s a fourth benefit
that I think is the most important — ease of
turning your ingredients.
We’ve already discussed the importance

and need to constantly bring air into the
core of the composting mass. However, I
A double bin, closed system like this is the find this to be the one activity that gets
ideal setup if you want something easy to
turn (and who doesn’t), up at the right
done the least, and the main reason why
height, and bins for new and in-process/ compost for most home gardeners takes
finished compost. If you’re going to
invest in a closed-bin system, I highly
much longer to break down. They frequently
recommend you get a two-bin system. skip this step.
You won’t regret it.
I get it. It’s the hardest part. But it’s also one of the most important steps for
getting finished compost faster.
Closed systems on a stand typically have a crank or a way for you to easily turn
the entire bin so that what is inside gets mixed up thoroughly. I must admit, it
is a lot easier this way than taking a turning fork or spade to an open heap to
do the same manually.
For this reason alone, I strongly encourage you to try a closed system. There
are many on the market and I’ve tried most. Look for systems that have a
large crank handle and well-designed gears. It makes even the heaviest loads
a breeze to turn.

The science behind how the various systems work is the same. It’s just how
they’re designed to rotate that makes the biggest difference and where
gardeners often find their preferred closed-bin composting system of choice.
DRAWBACKS TO CLOSED-BIN SYSTEMS
Closed-bin systems have several important benefits. But there are some other
considerations that don’t make these the perfect system. (In all fairness, I’ve
never found the perfect system.)
By nature of their design, these are self-contained systems. The lid is tight,
and there is little opportunity for anything to get in or out accidentally. The
downside is that these systems don’t always allow enough air flow into the bins
on their own, in my opinion. Even when turning, although you’re mixing the pile
up, there’s not much in the way of new airflow coming into the bin.
Consequently, the ingredients tend to stay on the overly damp side. Even if you
keep up with consistently mixing it up as I have done through the years, if the
lid remains on, there’s not a lot of opportunity for the moisture to evaporate
and air to circulate. Too much moisture and not enough air is what can lead
to the soggy material that never seems to dry out sufficiently to get to the
finished compost state in closed systems.
But there’s an easy fix here, too. If you trust me when I say your ingredients won’t
stink (once it dries out), and critters won’t be throwing a party in there, then
simply remove the lid during the day or for a few days at a time. Alternatively,
(for best results) also add more dry, brown (carbon) material into the bin and
give it a few turns before removing the lid temporarily.
By allowing for more opportunity for fresh air to circulate and evaporation to
take place, you eliminate one of the two biggest issues I see with these systems.

Passive and Forced-Air Composting
Perhaps the most universally loathed human intervention during the home
composting process is the physical turning or agitation of the pile to introduce
more oxygen. It’s why certain composting devices like the closed-bin systems
that make it easier to turn the vessel are so popular.
Alternatively, you can adopt a cold/passive composting process where you do

nothing. But you’ll be waiting quite a long time to have finished compost.
The compromise is creating alternate ways within the composting pile for air
to flow. The simplest method is to layer compost with different size twigs or
branches to create open pockets within the pile. Eventually those sticks break
but don’t break down as quickly as the other ingredients. When it’s finally time
to harvest compost, many of these sticks are in the way. I find these more of a
nuisance than benefit.
Another approach is placing large diameter PVC pipes horizontally and/or

vertically into the pile with large holes drilled into them. It’s a simple way to
passively draw air through the pipes and provide areas in the heap, especially
near the core, with much-needed oxygen to aid in the decomposition process.
How many you add and whether you go vertical or horizontal is up to you. But
anything you can do to create a way for air to reach the center of the pile, the
quicker you’ll have finished compost.
If you want to turbocharge your composting speed, you could create a simple
forced-air system. Here, a network of buried PVC pipes -- with holes drilled
throughout -- delivers air deep into the pile by way of an external supply. A
typical method is with an electric leaf blower. A coupling from the blower to
the supply pipe can be fashioned from readily available plumbing supplies. You
could even put it on autopilot by connecting an outdoor timer to the blower for
ultra-consistent aeration.

While the details of such a system are beyond the scope of this discussion,
it’s not complicated and is very effective in getting air into your pile without
Hot vs. Cold Composting

having to lift a finger. Check out YouTube for video examples.
I get a lot of questions from people who want to make compost but don’t have
the time, inclination, or ability to be involved in the process beyond making
their initial deposits into the composting bank. Will they still be able to make
compost, they ask? The answer is yes, but much more slowly.
The key to quick compost is hot composting.

But building up temperatures to levels hot
enough to break down ingredients quickly
and kill disease pathogens and weed seeds
above 140 degrees F typically doesn’t
happen on its own. It takes a healthy supply
of nitrogen-rich (green) ingredients to feed
the carbon-heavy (brown) ingredients
(about 3 times carbon to nitrogen), along
Any composting system, no matter how with sufficient oxygen and moisture to
simple or sophisticated, can break down
its contents slowly or quickly. You have a
achieve and sustain it at this temperature
great deal of influence on how quickly that level.
happens.
In the home environment, maintaining a hot compost pile requires some ongoing
input to keep it cooking: mainly manual-turning of the pile and the addition of
moisture. A compost thermometer can let you know how well it’s cooking.
Assuming you have a good diversity of organic matter, the more involved you
are, the quicker the ingredients will break down into finished compost.
Cold composting (also known as passive or lazy composting) is a hands-off

way to make compost (but much slower).

Essentially, cold composting consists of adding ingredients to a pile and waiting
it out (just like in nature). Sometimes the ingredients are added into a pit or
depression for in-ground composting. The time it takes to make compost this
way varies greatly depending on the ingredients and size of the mass material.
Expect it to take at least one year and likely two. With this composting method,
be especially careful not to add diseased plants or weeds going to seed. The
composting process will not get hot enough to kill either.

Putting Compost
to Work
( When, How, Where )

Adding a one-inch layer of compost to your garden beds once or twice a year, goes a very long way to
building and keeping your soil health at optimal levels. That’s exactly what I do between each growing
season in early spring and early fall. The empty beds make it easy to spread. Once I turn it into the top 4
inches of soil, I am good to go and my plants love it!
While any time is a good time to use compost, I believe you should add compost
to your garden beds well ahead of the growing season. The billions of beneficial
organisms in compost need time to colonize, reproduce and thoroughly inhabit
the surrounding soil to improve it.
While a small amount of compost will go a long way to improving overall soil,
it takes time for that to happen. The more time you allow, the better off your
garden plants will be.
Have you ever noticed that mature garden beds over several seasons typically
do better than first year gardens with newly added soil? I have. The ongoing
expansion of a healthy soil food web takes time to mature. The sooner you get
started, the sooner your plants will reap the benefits. While first season results

will be good, it only gets better, especially when you continue to add more
compost over time.
Once you fall in love with the results you get by using compost -- from the way
it improves your soil, to the health and vigor of your plants -- you’ll want to
use all you can. In fact, that common expression that if some is good, more is
better, will no doubt enter your thoughts — many times.
The good news here is that a little bit of compost goes a long way in the garden.
In fact, the U.S. Composting Council suggests we “strive for 5” -- meaning 5%
(by weight) of our soil makeup should be organic matter.
It’s natural to think if compost is that good,

why not plant my garden in 100% compost?
The answer is because it’s not necessary
or even advisable. Think of compost as an
amendment to your soil, not the soil itself.
While the ingredients in compost are

incredible, they work best when added to
existing soil. Recall that ideal soil is a mix of
Finished compost that’s been sifted is a sand, silt, clay, air, water and organic matter
beautiful thing. While your plants may
not be as picky, it really is more than just
(which makes up the smallest percentage).
aesthetic. When sifted, more of what you’re Compost is the organic matter.
adding is going to work immediately. The
larger material that doesn’t make it through
the screen, can and should get tossed back Plants need more than just what compost
into the compost pile.
provides. And under optimal growing
conditions, incorporating too much
compost is unnecessary, wasteful, and even
detrimental to providing the best growing
environment in the soil.

Sifting or Screening Compost
As your compost reaches its finished state, you will no doubt be anxious to
add it to your garden. Even though finished compost appears uniform in many
ways, it’s probable that you will have larger pieces of woody material and such
that just haven’t degraded to the same particle size as the rest of your compost.
You could simply ignore the fact that it’s not all the same size and forge
ahead with using it as-is. Or, pick out the larger pieces that need more time to
biodegrade, and toss them back in to the bin.
Another option if you like the compost

you’re adding to your garden to be uniform
and completely soil-like is to build a compost
sifter to screen your compost before adding
it all to your garden. It’s an easy project that
anyone can do in just a few minutes with
minimal tools.
Step-by-step instructions to make a

Compost sifters are such a simple thing simple compost sifter are provided in the
to make. And they make such a difference
when trying to get the most from your
supplemental information at the back of
compost in the garden. It’s an easy, and this guide.
inexpensive project that will serve you
for years to come. Do yourself a favor and
make a compost sifter or two.

Two Bins are Better Than One
By now, you know the process of going
from raw material to finished compost. But
if you only have a single bin composting
system that you continue to feed, it won’t
take long for you to ask yourself when will
it ever be ready?
You’re doing all the right things, the inputs

Once you understand that you need a way are breaking down, you’re seeing results,
to separate in-process or nearly finished and you just can’t wait to add this black gold
compost from new ingredients, you will
never go back to a single bin system. I now to your garden. There’s just one problem.
use four bins during peak season to house
How do you get your compost to degrade
my compost in various stages of breaking
down (fresh, somewhat fresh, mostly all the inputs so it’s finally finished if you’re
finished, finished). But even in slow times,
two bins are better than one.
continuing to add new inputs? You can’t.
As long as you continue to add new to the old, you’ll never have 100% finished
compost. You must get your pile or bin to a point where you allow it to break
down just what’s there, without the constant addition of new material. Only
then will you be able to harvest finished compost.
This is why I suggest you plan on having a second pile, bin or collection site.
Once you get to a critical mass, stop adding new ingredients and allow what’s
there to finish. But don’t stop composting.
By having a second place to deposit your compostable ingredients, you’ll

continue to have compost working at different stages. The beauty of having two
separate sources is that you improve your chances of always having compost
that’s ready to use or nearly so.
Just as one source is finishing and ready for the garden, you’ll already have
another source of in-process compost cooking down as well. But eventually

you’ll need to stop adding new ingredients to this second location so it can
finish, too.
Once you’ve used up all the finished compost from the first source, you can
and should start adding new ingredients to this location again. But once you
get serious about composting, you don’t have to stop at two separate sources.
In fact, the more active you are with making compost, the more likely you will
build up each area to its critical mass quicker and you’ll need to start a new
pile. Which means you might want to go to three piles or bins. It’s what I have
and it makes a big difference. If you’re actively adding ingredients and have a
lot of it, a 3-bin system should provide compost that’s ready to use throughout
the year.
In a 3-bin system, you start your first pile and build it up to the point where you
need to move on to the second bin. But then if you get that pile up to its critical
mass before the first pile is finished, you move on to the third bin.
This way, you’ll have compost breaking down at any time in three basic stages:
new, in-process, and finished. If you find the need to have three input sources,
then good for you and congratulations. You won’t be able to imagine ever
composting again with less. It’s a beautiful thing.
In a subsequent section of this guide, I’ve included step-by-step instructions

on how to make the 3-bin system I have using free (untreated) shipping pallets.
I’m sold on the 3-bin system. (You can also watch the episode where we made
this system on the show.)

How to Use When You Only Have a Little
When deciding how to get the most mileage
out of a finite supply of compost, start by
adding it to the immediate area around
where the roots will meet soil amended
with compost.
My suggestion is to apply about 1 inch of

compost around where you will add plants
or seeds and work it into the soil about 4
Fortunately, a little compost goes a long inches deep. If you have more compost to
way. I top dress all my beds because I
have enough to do so. But if I had limited
work with, increase the volume of what
amounts, I would focus on keeping it where you add, as well as the area out from where
the plant roots will be and work out from
there. your plants will grow.
Certainly, all soil benefits from the addition of compost. However, the immediate
goal when the supply is limited is to focus on getting compost to where your
plant roots will be able to access it first.
Compost Tea
Many people ask about compost tea. If you don’t know, think of it as a non-
heated brew of compost or manure (usually composted manure) with the
addition of sugar. The result is a bacteria-rich tea that is applied to plant foliage
and soil for disease suppression and a quick-feed nutrient boost.
Although compost tea sounds like a slam-dunk way to deliver the best soil
amendment in a liquid form, it is not without controversy.
A quick online search will produce a number of scientific and academic studies

that show compost tea doesn’t work (even when properly mixed and brewed
as proponents would argue in defense of such findings). Another issue is the
risk that compost tea can promote an environment that fosters increased levels
of harmful bacteria.
I know people on both sides of this argument that I greatly respect. Although I
don’t make or use compost tea, I have seen the results of its beneficial effect as
a foliar feed, primarily in organic lawn applications. I have also talked to many
avid gardeners I know and trust who are convinced it works for them.
While there is no shortage of information online on both sides of this issue,

you’ll have to go there to learn more for now. A more in-depth discussion on
this subject is beyond the scope of what I’m willing and able to include here.
(Perhaps a dedicated guide on this topic later might be in order.)
How to Store Finished Compost

Once the initial activity of the composting
process has subsided and the internal
temperatures have cooled, it’s best to
keep compost relatively dry and in piles
small enough to allow aerobic respiration
throughout.
Covering your finished compost to keep

it on the dry side is best. Even a simple
burlap layer, clearly not waterproof, will
help protect finished compost, especially
from washing away. A hard surface cover is
even better.

Challenges with
Composting

Keeping Up With the Routine:
Make it a Family Affair
( Stainless Bowl on Counter Top )
Meet our family kitchen countertop composting bowl. It gets a lot of use! Fortunately, my family knows the
routine and feeds it often. I make nearly daily trips to the compost bin to empty it. The stainless steel is
great since it doesn’t absorb odors. A tight-fitting lid is the only other part to this first-stage bin.
Around my house, composting is a way of life. From the time my kids could
walk (and maybe before), they knew we didn’t throw anything away that could
be composted.
A dedicated stainless steel bowl lives on the counter top and everyone knows
that if it can be composted, it goes in the bowl. Even when the bowl doesn’t
quite make it back to the counter top after a visit to the compost pile, my

family knows to leave their deposits on the counter and I will quickly snatch
them up and into the bowl.
It’s become such a part of our family routine for so long now, we don’t know
any different and I believe everyone enjoys the process of knowing those scraps
are going to produce great compost for our garden that ultimately comes
back to us as nutritious organic fruits and vegetables. In fact, engaging your
family -- especially your kids from an early age -- into the entire process, (from
chopping larger pieces of produce into smaller parts for the bowl, to mixing it
into the outside pile, to ultimately adding it to the garden and picking that first
ripe strawberry, or tomato), they see full-circle how it all happens. Hands down,
it is one of the best ways I know to hook them for life on an incredible activity
that offers so much in return.
Composting in Winter
Composting can indeed continue through
cold winter weather, albeit at a much
slower rate. Even so, that should not stop
you from continuing to collect ingredients
to add to your system.
Tomato cages that are temporarily out of

service make great storage bins for fall
leaves, or any other organic material that
Composting does go on during winter, you continue to collect over winter. A frame
but admittedly at a much slower pace. But
that should not stop you from finding or of old straw or hay bales stacked two high
creating a place to make deposits. They and covered with plywood makes a great
are valuable ingredients that shouldn’t
be wasted by throwing away. Plus, you’ll storage bin for accepting all your winter
have a huge head start in spring from your inputs. As long as you can lift the wood to
winter contributions.
add more ingredients, you’re in business.

Alternatively, you could leave an opening in one side to insert material. Then
cover the front opening if you choose. Moreover, the straw or hay bales will
provide additional brown/carbon material to get you even farther along to
accessing finished compost in spring.
In cases where a compost pile freezes, the composting process is halted

temporarily.
The primary reason for slower decomposition in winter is due to the organisms
living in the material that do the work to break it down. Microbes that decompose
raw materials fall into two main categories:
MESOPHILIC: Here, microbes live and grow in temperatures of 50 – 113 degrees

F. Activity is much less intense and the decomposition process slows greatly.
THERMOPHILIC: Here, microbes live and grow in temperatures of 113 – 158

degrees F. During the warmer months, the microbes that live in this range are
intensely active in consuming material which generates the heat that “cooks”
the compost.
The best way to facilitate composting ingredients continuing to decompose (or

even partially so) is to have a pile large enough so that more heat is generated
than lost. A pile 4’ x 4’ x 4’ should be adequate to maintain a level of insulation
from external temperature extremes in winter while allowing some interior
Indoor Composting
decomposition.
One of the biggest challenges to urban dwellers living in apartments, condos,

townhouses, and homes with tiny yards is finding a good way to compost
with little to no space. While the heart is willing, the reality and practicality of
doing so includes unique challenges. I would love to say anyone can compost
anywhere, but the truth is, the results will be minimal in small spaces.

I’ll address the two most common methods
of indoor composting at the end of this
section. But first, let’s talk about the
practicality of traditional composting,
inside the home.

To successfully make a practical quantity
of compost the way described throughout
this guide, the collective ingredients must
The lid. It’s the key to a happy family. If be substantial enough to gain critical
you’re storing compostable ingredients
indoors, a lid is a must. This is the one mass—certainly larger than the space
that lives on top of my bowl—which didn’t that a yardless home provides. The truth
come with the lid. But you can easily find
just the lid, like I did, at most big stores for is, creating compost from raw material to
under $20. Just make sure it fits perfectly
the finished product inside an apartment,
over the top with no gaps.
condo or townhome environment using
traditional methods is not for the faint of heart. However, there is no reason
you can’t or shouldn’t at least start the process there.
The good news is that anyone, anywhere can start the composting process. You
just may not be able to finish it given your space limitations. Fortunately, there
are companies and organizations around the country that will, for a fee, pick
up your compostable waste on a weekly basis and transport it to an outdoor
composting site. Unfortunately, such services are not in every city. You should
do your homework and see if such an opportunity exists for you. It’s the perfect
way to do your part to help protect the planet, and grow great plants, too.
The first lesson for saving food scraps indoors is that you can only store them
for so long there. It’s only a matter of time before the fruit flies or smell will
have you looking for the fastest way to take it outside.
If fruit flies do become a problem, you can make a simple but effective trap.
Take a plastic soda bottle of any size and cut the bottle in half. Pour about an
inch of cider vinegar into the bottom. Invert the top half of the bottle and insert

it into the bottom half. This will serve as a funnel to direct fruit flies towards the
highly-attractive vinegar where they will be trapped or drown.
If not having a place to periodically deposit your compost ingredients applies

to you, think about this very important step before you even get started. You
need a place outside of your indoor living space where you can take these
ingredients—preferably a composting pile, either yours or a friend’s, or a
community garden, etc.
If you don’t have access to such, at least set up an intermediate place outside
your main living area to store the ingredients in a larger holding bucket. Then
someone (or a company as mentioned above) can collect that and take it to a
composting location to finish the process.
If you’re still on board with at least starting the process at home, you’ll need a
good initial storage bin to collect the fresh ingredients. I find a large stainless
steel bowl with a tight-fitting lid works great. Stainless won’t absorb odors and
it’s easy to clean. And a lid is a must! Trust me on this.
My countertop system is nothing fancy. Just the bowl and a lid I purchased
separately which fits perfectly over the top. However, you have numerous
options to buy “composting crocks” or countertop devices that are made (or
adapted) for this purpose. Some even include a charcoal filter to help absorb
potential odors. You can also purchase compostable bag liners to make the
disposal and cleanup process easier. But take it from me, if your indoor compost
bin of ingredients starts to smell, it’s time to take it outside, with or without a
charcoal filter.
MOST POPULAR METHODS OF INDOOR COMPOSTING
There are two methods of indoor composting that seem to dominate the small
space or indoor composting discussion. The first is Bokashi (the term is a
Japanese word that means “fermented compost”). The actual process uses

anaerobic composting that relies on inoculated bran to ferment all kinds of
kitchen waste including meat and dairy. The output is a nutrient-rich tea that
you apply to your plants and soil.
While the process is not difficult once you master it, it does require some special
equipment and products to process the waste. The required conversation
necessary to explain this method further is beyond the scope of what can be
included here. (That said, a separate discussion may follow in a subsequent
guide). Fortunately, there is plenty of information readily available online if you
care to investigate this further. Only you can decide if the effort is worth the
results.
The second method of composting indoors is vermicomposting (composting

using earthworms to breakdown the organic material). The general concept is
that you have some sort of homemade bin or commercially purchased system
that stores the worms and the food scraps (usually indoors). The storage bin
can live under your kitchen counter, in a basement or some part of your house
that stays relatively warm (worms won’t survive freezing temperatures).
To start, you create bedding for your worms with shredded newspaper, paper
towel rolls, some soil and vegetable scraps, and a few thousand red wiggler
worms (about a pound). The voracious worms consume everything in the
bin (you have to keep feeding them). The output is a rich coffee-ground like
material known as vermicompost (worm manure really).
The value of vermicompost is undeniable as a nutrient-rich soil amendment you

can add directly to your garden beds or supplement your standard compost.
The caveat is that you will most likely be dealing with hundreds of tiny fruit
flies. Plus you have to keep feeding the worms. While the entire operation can
be rather self-contained, odorless, and not as messy as you might imagine, you
should do further research before deciding this is something you want to try
indoors.


Where there’s a will, there’s a way. You just need to find it.
For more information on my personal experience and first attempt at

indoor vermicompost, I wrote about that here (GrowingAGreenerWorld.
com/vermicomposting).
We’ve also filmed a segment on Growing a Greener World on how to make

your own outdoor vermicompost bin. That is what I use now and find it far
more practical for my purposes. The details and pictures of how to make it are
here (GrowingAGreenerWorld.com/how-to-make-our-custom-worm-bin).
Lastly, perhaps one of the best benefits of vermicomposting is the liquid effluent
that results in the process. It’s like a super organic liquid fertilizer. It’s how I fell
in love with vermicomposting in the first place. I wrote all about my experience
with this liquid gold here (GrowingAGreenerWorld.com/liquid-worm-juice-
superfood-for-my-organic-garden).
Odor
When organic matter typically found in a compost pile is in balance -- generally
the right amounts of air, moisture, carbon (browns) and nitrogen (greens) --
odor is a non-issue. In the decades that I’ve been composting, it’s never been
an issue. Well, except just once.
A big heap of cut wet grass after mowing the lawn sat on top of my compost
pile for a day or two and the smell was certainly noticeable. While not offensive,
it did catch your attention.
But it was and is an easy fix. If and when your compost aroma gets your or
your neighbor’s attention, it is likely too much moisture on fresh, high-nitrogen
feedstock and not enough air.

Although grass clippings are a fantastic nitrogen addition to your compost
station, they are a particularly notorious and problematic example. Their
inherent high nitrogen and moisture content, combined with the propensity
to clump when wet, sets up the perfect environment for anaerobic respiration
(respiration in the absence of oxygen, where organisms convert organic matter
into methane gas, ammonia, alcohols, or other organic compounds and carbon
dioxide).
In such conditions, you will experience a very good example of when a compost
pile or bin that gets noticed first, before you see it.
Fortunately, the solution is simple. Mix up the new feedstock with older stock
so that you’re incorporating more of the old with the new. Or add more dry
brown/carbon stock, like hay, straw, or shredded dry leaves.
That will do two things. First, it brings in more oxygen to help dry up the
saturated parts (which won’t readily break down without it, and the reason it
smells), and agitation returns the inputs back to an oxygen-rich aerobic state
which is what you need as part of the four main components for organic matter
to biodegrade.
Second, mixing old with new also helps inoculate the fresh stock and jump-
starts the decomposition process.
The bottom line is this: aerobic composting does not generate odorous
compounds, while anaerobic compounds do. If you ever notice your compost is
starting to smell, it’s likely one of three issues, all which can be easily addressed.
The first is the raw material (feedstock). However, the most likely ingredients
found in a home composting system are not the materials that typically cause
offensive odors, especially if added to the pile soon after discard. It’s usually
only after storage over time that such ingredients begin to become odorous.
The key is simply to start the materials composting as soon as possible.

The second is conditions where ammonia is released from high nitrogen
material (the wet grass clippings above are a classic example). The pungent
odor can be quickly reduced by mixing in extra carbon (such as dry leaves into
the mix).
The third is overly wet raw material. While moist is good, wet or saturated is
not, especially with high nitrogen ingredients. Keeping ingredients consistently
mixed will aid in better evaporation and the reduction of excessive moisture.
In all cases, simply mix it up. Within a day, you should be back on track with no
objectionable lingering odors.
Side note: ironically, in my opinion (and the opinion of many others), finished
compost is some of the best-smelling stuff on the planet. It’s rich, earthy and
even has a sweetness to it that makes for a combination like no other. And for
that, we can thank actinomycetes. They are a group of fungi-like bacteria that
produce that characteristic light-colored branching found in decomposing
organic matter and are responsible for the earthy, heavenly smell of compost.
Critter and Rodent Control

One of the most common questions (and objections for not getting started) is
the concern that having a compost pile will attract critters.
While there’s no doubt critters may be attracted to a new playground, in my

decades of composting, I have never found that to be a problem. The main
reason for that is I am not putting ingredients into my pile that are attractive
to them.
As you read from the previous mention about what not to put in your compost
pile, animal products such as meat, grease, and dairy don’t go into mine.
Accordingly, neither do the critters. At least as far as I can tell. The best way to

keep critters from frequenting your compost pile is to avoid adding the main
food products that would attract them—which shouldn’t be there anyway.
If you stick to the basics of leafy greens and veggies from the kitchen, and
yard debris from outside, there is really not much there to make your compost
desirable to critters. But if you want to be extra cautious in deterring rodents
and other critters from foraging your compost pile, keep it turned and watered
often, and whenever you add new food scraps, cover them with a layer of
existing compost, or leaves, straw, etc. In this way, food waste will quickly break
down and become even less of an attraction to unwanted visitors.
While we can’t control what lurks in the night, critters are curious creatures
and may investigate your heap just like anything else. Foraging is the major job
of their waking life. That said, I see it as a non-issue and certainly no reason to
Deterring Fire Ants

not make compost.
If you find your compost pile overrun with fire ants, your first action should be
to turn it more often and add more moisture. By turning your pile frequently,
ants will have less time to colonize. They also prefer a drier environment. By
keeping your compost moist, the ants will eventually move on. But do keep in
mind, don’t discourage all ants. Black ants are harmless to you and an active
member of the soil food web, helping to break down material into finished
compost while also improving airflow within the pile.
Dealing with Flies

Flies around a compost pile tend to show up only when food scraps are exposed
to the air. Instead, cover them with a layer of brown material such as compost,
leaves or wood shavings. The same goes for worm bins. Bury food scraps in the
bedding rather than placing them on the surface. It’s that simple.

Plastic Bins and Tires: Are They Harmful?
Information on any risks associated with using plastic bins for recycling is
minimal. From my research, it does not sufficiently address this topic conclusively.
However, what I have found is that the plastic used for making compost bins
is thicker and more stable than the plastics that are known to leach potentially
hazardous chemicals. My advice would be to contact the manufacturer of the
specific product to see if you can learn more.
As for old tires, the risk of leaching is greater over time as they slowly degrade.
Zinc and several carcinogenic compounds have been shown to leach into
adjacent soil.

How Much
Do You Need
( And Where to Get More? )

According to the U.S. Composting Council, the goal for organic matter
composition in your soil is 5% to the dry weight of your plantable area. Generally,
an inch worked into the top four inches of soil will give you excellent results
and get you close to that target.
There are numerous free online calculators and apps that will determine how
much compost you’ll need to cover any given area. Just search for them online.
All you need to enter is the depth of organic matter you want in inches and the
dimensions of the area you want to cover.
Where to Buy: Buying Compost in Bulk
When you just can’t make as much as you need, you can still get high-quality compost. I have it delivered in
bulk and use a manure spreader to cover my acreage with a generous topdressing of compost. The results
are nothing short of amazing.

I love having land and plenty of room to grow. Although I wouldn’t trade it for
anything, it does come with certain challenges that require a little “out of the
bag” thinking—especially when it comes to using large quantities of compost.
For smaller applications, you can make all the compost you’re likely to need.
But the fact is, if you have an average-sized yard, you probably need more than
you can reasonably make.
Fortunately, bagged products of compost are readily available at nurseries,

garden centers and box stores. If you have modest to moderate needs for
compost, this can be a simple solution. Plus, you can’t beat the convenience of
picking up a few bags to keep on hand whenever the need arises. But here’s
where the convenience of bags starts to lose its appeal to a more cost-effective
solution.
Assume that you only need about one-

cubic yard of compost (half a pickup truck
load). That would require 27 bags from the
garden center! Alternatively, it’s just one
scoop from the bulk supplier.
If you have a need for compost beyond

even a half pickup truck load, buying in
bulk will save you significant money over
The lawn after the bulk compost has been bags (while saving a lot of plastic from the
spread over the top in fall. While it may
not be much to look at then, by spring, the landfills). Plus, anything you don’t use can
results are amazing! be stored for later use.
You can find bulk suppliers by searching for landscape supplies or contacting a
local landscaper. Facilities that sell bulk compost to homeowners will load your
truck. Typically, they will also deliver for a modest fee. For the big jobs, this is
the most practical way to get the quantity you need quickly.

Before You Buy
You should be aware that all compost is not created equal. Finished compost
is the result of the decomposition of whatever the organic inputs or feedstock
were. That includes whatever chemicals were on the original material to begin
with.
Compost quality is based on uniformity, stability, pH, soluble salts, the presence
of undesirable components such as heavy metals, weed seeds, phytotoxic
compounds, particle size and foreign objects.
Clearly, the best way to control the quality of your compost is to make it yourself.
However, the limitations of what you can reasonably make, compared to how
much you need, often necessitates finding another source.
If you want to know that the compost you’re buying has gone through a
quality-testing protocol, find a retailer or supplier offering Certified Compost,
as designated by the U.S Composting Council*. Compost carrying this Seal of
Testing Assurance certification has gone through a series of representative
sample testing to help ensure what you’re buying has passed quality assurance
standards for safety and effectiveness. Short of making it yourself, I don’t know
of a better way to avoid a potential problem when buying in bulk.

Supplemental
Information

DIY Compost Sifter:
My Favorite Tool for Preparing Compost
for the Garden
The compost sifter in the lower right of this picture has seen a lot of use in this Seattle community garden.
STEPS TO BUILDING A SIMPLE COMPOST SIFTER
SUPPLIES NEEDED: 2x4s cut to size, 3-inch galvanized screws, drill, hardware
cloth, 3/4-inch galvanized staples (or similar), wire cutter
1. MAKE THE FRAME. Cut 2x4 lumber into pieces to make up the frame so that
it’s large enough to rest solidly on top of a wheelbarrow, cart, or collection
tub, etc. A good uniform frame size is 24” x 48”. That’s the size of the frames

I built and they work beautifully. They’re also easy to handle and store.
In all cases, choose a width for the frame that matches (or is narrower) than
the width of the screening material known as hardware cloth (galvanized
meshed wire) that you’ll be securing to the frame in the next step.

Using your drill, secure the frame together using 3-inch decking or
weather-resistant screws. I use two screws per joint.
2. SELECT THE RIGHT HARDWARE CLOTH. Hardware cloth comes

in rolls that you can find at any box or hardware store. It also comes
in different dimensions regarding the spacing of the openings.
First, select a roll that is as wide or wider than your frame
width. You can always cut it back to the width you need. The
most commonly available sizes for width are 24”, 30”, and 36”.

Next, select the wire that has the spacing size you prefer. Common options
are 1/2-inch and 1-inch. I strongly suggest the 1-inch spacing. You simply
don’t need to sift compost down any finer.
3. SECURE THE HARDWARE CLOTH TO THE FRAME. Place the frame on

a solid surface and line up the wire onto the frame so the edges of the
hardware cloth line up perfectly with the frame edges. You can now
cut the length of the cloth to fit the frame, or just beyond, to make it
easier to work with now, or wait until you’re ready to staple that end.

Use 3/4-inch galvanized u-shaped, nailable staples to secure the
wire to the frame every few inches. Or you could use anything similar
that you have on hand. Whatever you choose, the goal is to have
a tightly-fitting screen that matches the dimensions of the frame,
and is well-secured with the staples around the entire perimeter.

Last, cut the edges so there is no exposed wire beyond the frame edge. You now
have a compost sifter that you’ll use often and should last for years to come.

DIY Compost Bin:
My Favorite Composting Bin
and How to Make it For Free in Minutes
My 3-bay pallet composting bin is fantastic. If you start with good quality hardwood pallets that are all the
same size, your bin can be finished as fast as you can screw it together. It’s been my composting system of
choice now for over 10 years. The accessories, like the covered roof, are a nice addition. However, totally
not required.
Not long ago, we filmed an episode for Growing a Greener World, which was
all about composting. To this day, we get many requests for the instructions
on how to build the three-bin composting system made from used shipping
pallets that I constructed during the episode.

The beauty in the design was its simplicity, low cost, and the ability to re-
purpose some of those ubiquitous pallets that pile up everywhere. With a drill
and a box of all-weather screws, anyone can assemble a multiple-bin pallet
composting system quickly and inexpensively. In my case, with the help of a
neighbor simply to hold the pallets in place as I drilled the screws, we had a
basic three-bin composting system securely in place in a matter of minutes,
literally.
The bin was so functional yet simple, I started thinking of ways to enhance it.
By the next day, I added a hinged roof to the section of the bin that would store
the finished compost, and more hinges to the outer pallet wall of the finished
compost section to allow for easier access.
BUILDING THE 3-BIN COMPOSTING SYSTEM
PALLET SELECTION. Pallets are made from all different types of wood. For a
compost bin, it’s preferable to find those that are rot resistant, such as oak or
cedar. Although easy to find, pine does not stand up to the elements as long.
For strength and durability, you can’t beat hardwood.
Also, be aware that pallets are not always uniform in size. For this system, it’s
preferable that they’re all the same size. It makes for a better looking finished
product and helps during assembly.
Most importantly, choose pallets that have not been chemically treated. The
most common treatment methods for pests and pathogens are either heat-
treating (marked on the pallet with “HT”) or fumigation, using Methyl Bromide
(marked MB). Don’t use MB pallets. This is a dangerous chemical and has no
place in a composting environment. Stick with heat-treated or new virgin wood
if you can find it.
ASSEMBLY. Start with a level surface for the area where your system will set
and assemble it in place. For this 3-bin system, you will need seven pallets: one

for each outer wall, two for the dividers to separate the bins, and three across
the back. Assembly is straightforward and intuitive. Start by attaching the left
outer wall pallet to the back pallet with several screws. Then add one of the
inner pallet dividers and secure it against the back pallet. With the remaining
pallets, work your way across for the next two sections in this same manner. In
no time, you are finished with the basic set-up and ready to compost.
THE OPTIONS. When I created my system, the assembly was so fast and easy,
I felt like I wanted to spiff mine up some more. Although totally unnecessary,
I liked the idea of having a cover over the bin that would hold my finished
compost. My improvised solution consisted of a cut-to-fit sheet of corrugated
plastic, screwed to a wooden frame made of 2x2 pine. I then attached two
hinges to the frame and secured them to the outside of the back pallet.
Two larger hinges were also used to attach

the outside pallet wall of the finished
compost section to the back pallet. My
thinking was it would be a nice way to
swing open that side so I had better access
for retrieving compost. In hindsight, it’s
not necessary and more trouble than it’s
worth. Four years ago, I built a new pallet
composting bin at the Garden Farm where
If you make the pallet bin, try to have some I now live and it’s still going strong. It’s a
extra slats on hand to fill the gaps. Pallets
can have wide openings and the slats are
no-frills, basic model which is frankly the
an easy way to keep more of your compost best overall and easiest to make by far.
inside.
TWO FINAL THOUGHTS: I strongly suggest grabbing an extra pallet to use

just for additional parts. I removed the slats from it to place in between other
slats of my finished bins wherever I wanted to close some of the gaps. It’s a
smart and simple fix to help keep more of your precious compost in place.
Alternatively, you could line the interior of each bin with one-inch hardware
cloth or similar to reduce the amount of compost falling through the gaps. I will

likely do this for my next series of bins.
I also recommend adding a long, treated 2x4 across the back side of the pallet wall
towards the top edge. The extra stability it provides is a simple and inexpensive
option to reinforce the entire system. For additional information and pictures
on how I built this bin, I wrote about that here: GrowingAGreenerWorld.com/
building-pallet-compost-bin
You can watch the composting episode and see just how I built this bin here:
GrowingAGreenerWorld.com/episode225

Comprehensive List of Ingredients
That Can be Composted
MATERIAL BROWN OR GREEN COMMENTS
Carbon (C)
or Nitrogen (N)
Grass clippings Green When saturated, fresh clippings will clump
and emit an unpleasant odor temporarily.
Leaves Brown Shred or chop first for faster breakdown. A
mulching mower works great for this.
Leaves – Oak Brown Acidic, slow to breakdown.
Leaves - Black Brown Initially toxic to some plants. Neutralized
Walnut during composting.
Sticks and twigs Brown The smaller the better. Slow to break down.
Yard debris Brown & Green Cut or chop into small pieces.
Hay or straw Brown May contain persistent herbicides that can
survive the composting process. Use with
caution. (See section below on manure for
more info)
Pine needles Brown Acidic. Slow to break down.
Sawdust Brown
Wood mulch Brown
(natural)
Manure Green High in nitrogen. Use caution when using
horse manure due to risk of persistent
herbicides that can survive composting
process. (See section below on manure for
more info)
Pet bedding Green Small animals (hamsters, rabbits, guinea
pigs, etc.) Herbivorous animal bedding only.
Vegetable scraps Green
Citrus and fruit Brown Rinds, seeds, fruit, peelings.
waste
Corncobs Brown Slow to break down.
Eggshells n/a Crush first for faster breakdown.
Breads Brown

Cereal (hot or Brown
cold)
Coffee grounds Green
(and filters)
Popcorn Brown
Pasta Brown Cooked or uncooked.
Tea leaves/tea Green
bags
Cardboard Brown The smaller the better.
Egg cartons Brown Cardboard only.
Wine corks Brown Natural cork only.
Dryer lint Brown
Vacuum cleaner Brown Remove inorganic material.
bag contents
Hair Brown Human or animal is fine.
Paper (plain) Brown Shred first if possible. Avoid glossy.
Paper towel Brown Without grease or oil.
Envelopes Brown Avoid window envelopes.
Pet food–dry only Brown
Seaweed/kelp Green
Wood ash Brown Use very sparingly (raises pH).
Nutshells Brown Crush if possible.
Natural twine Brown
Natural fiber Brown Cotton, burlap, bamboo, wool.
material
Cotton balls, Brown Cardboard only swabs-no plastic.
Q-tips

Best Conditions for Making Rapid Compost
Carbon-to-Nitrogen Ratio (C:N) - Good: 20:1 – 40:1, Better: 25:1 – 30:1
Moisture Content - Good: 40-65%, Better: 50-60%
Oxygen concentration - Good: Greater than 5%, Better: Much greater than 5%
Temperature - Good: 110-150 degrees F., Better: 130-150 degrees F.
Carbon-to-Nitrogen Ratio (C:N) 

The ratio of carbon to nitrogen is referred to as the C:N ratio. The relative
amount of carbon to nitrogen, e.g., a 2:1 ratio, means that there is twice as
much carbon as nitrogen.
Microorganisms use carbon for both energy and growth while nitrogen is
essential for protein and reproduction. In general, biological organisms need
about 25 times more carbon than nitrogen. Achieving a carbon-to-nitrogen
ratio of about 25:1 is an important factor in creating favorable conditions for
backyard composting. By providing them with materials that provide these
elements in the proper proportion, they thrive and proliferate in the composting
environment.
While I don’t want to discount the importance of the C:N discussion, and its
significance in the composting process, I don’t want you to get overwhelmed
by it either. Frankly, I’ve never worried about trying to hit that just-right ratio.
By providing a good mix of greens and browns from inside and outside the
house, you and I will make beautiful compost quick enough. Life’s too short to
get bogged down in the details for me.
However…I am providing the following table for those who want to know
more. After all, this is The “Complete” Guide to Home Composting. These are
approximate ratios. (Each product can vary widely; in such cases, an average
is provided.)

COMMON CARBON & NITROGEN CARBON:NITROGEN RATIO BY
COMPOST INGREDIENTS VOLUME(C:N)
COMMON CARBON INGREDIENTS
Grass clippings (dried) 50:1
Leaves (dry) 60:1
Sawdust 400:1
Cardboard 350:1
Newspaper 170:1
Paper towel 110:1
Hay (dry) 25:1
Straw (dry) 75:1
Pine straw (pine needles) 80:1
Wood chips 400:1
Twigs & branches 500:1
Tree trimmings 16:1
Shrub trimmings 53:1
Wood ash 25:1
COMMON NITROGEN INGREDIENTS
Blood meal 3:1
Coffee grounds 20:1
Grass clippings (fresh) 15:1
Hair 10:1
Hay (fresh) 25:1
Garden debris 40:1
Kitchen scraps 20:1
Seaweed 20:1
COMMON MANURE INGREDIENTS
Cattle manure 20:1
Horse manure 25:1
Swine manure 10:1
Rabbit manure 12:1
Chicken/poultry manure 7:1
Sheep manure 15:1

Troubleshooting
PROBLEM CAUSE OTHER SYMPTOMS SOLUTION
Compost not Material too Material clumps Add dry ingredients such as
getting hot wet together, odor, looks/ shredded leaves or paper. Mix
enough feels soggy. well.
Material too Material is too loose, will Spray thoroughly with water.
dry not bind together when Add wet ingredients. Mix well.
squeezed.
Not enough Too much browns Add more nitrogen-rich
nitrogen (carbon/woody material) ingredients (fresh grass
to greens (nitrogen/ clippings, manure, food
fresh material). scraps).
Pile is Pile size is less than Add more material (both green
too small 4 ft. or not enough and brown debris).
(especially in ingredients in closed
winter) system.
Not enough Temperature stays low or Turn pile.
oxygen drops steadily.
Composting Unable to raise No action required.
process internal temperature
approaching significantly, even after
finished state turning and moisture
addition.
Compost Not enough air Pile is neither wet or dry. Add water and turn pile to
getting too circulation to release heat.
hot release heat
Noticeable Too much Wet or clumpy, ammonia Add dry, carbon-based
Odor nitrogen odor. material such as shredded
paper or leaves. Turn pile.
Not enough Unpleasant, putrid odor Turn pile to increase airflow,
air combined such as rotten eggs add dry material and greater
with too much continuously. diversity of carbon-based
water products and smaller size.
Odorous Turn more frequently, add dry,
feedstock brown material.

Flies – More than Fresh feedstock remains Mix pile more frequently and
Mosquitos normal activity on top of pile and not cover fresh raw material with
around mixed in. decomposed matter. Look for
compost standing water and grade area
to eliminate pooling areas.
Critters Possible Small animals, rodents Eliminate use of animal-based
active in inclusion of frequently observed. products, turn pile more
compost animal-based (Occasional visits by frequently, maintain even
products squirrels, chipmunks, moisture level. The elimination
(meat, grease, turtles, snakes, etc. are of meat, grease, and dairy,
dairy) normal and should be combined with periodic
tolerated in an open turning and moisture addition
composting system.) will minimize unwelcome
visitors to compost.

Special Thanks
SUSAN MULVIHILL: Thank you for the fantastic contributions and suggested
changes in this eBook. I am especially thankful for your sharp eye in catching
my many corrections. Your grace under pressure is amazing!
NATALIE MCGUIRE: If you like the look of this eBook, my website, logo... it’s all
Natalie! NatalieMcGuireDesign.com
PHOTO CREDITS
THERESA LOE: ComposTumbler behind gate door

ALIDA SAXON: brown double ComposTumbler bin
MARILYN GYURICZA DORNER: double closed bin next to wooden bin
JORDAN BRANNOCK CROSSINGHAM: cover, compost in hand, compost on
fork, compost in red bucket, etc.
COURTENAY VANDERBILT: shredded paper going into compost bin
REFERENCES AND SOURCES

CONSULTED IN PREPARING THIS GUIDE
The Rodale Book of Composting: Easy methods for Every Gardener

(New Revised Edition) Rodale Gardening
The Complete Compost Gardening Guide

(Barbara Pleasant & Deborah L. Martin) Storey Publishing
On-Farm Composting Handbook: Northeast Regional Agricultural Engineering

Service Cooperative Extension
The Truth About Organic Gardening; Benefits, Drawbacks and the Bottom Line
(Jeff Gillman) Timber Press

Teaming With Microbes; The Organic Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web –
Revised Edition (Jeff Lowenfels & Wayne Lewis) Timber Press
Growing A Greener World: GrowingAGreenerWorld.com
Cornell Composting: Compost.css.cornell.edu
DISCLAIMERS
Disclosure of Material Connection: At the time of this writing, I am a compensated

spokesperson for the U.S. Composting Council (USCC). Compensation can take
the form of a cash payment, gift, or something else of tangible value. However,
the USCC did not ask me to write this guide nor did they have any direct
involvement in it. Any members of the council may have been consulted, solely
for their expertise on a particular subject only. Suffice it to say no word in this
guide was influenced by my relationship with them. Rest assured, the thoughts
and opinions in this post are indeed my own. Any relationship I have with a
company, or content I create is only done so if and when I genuinely believe
in a product or service, use it personally, or believe it to be good information
worth sharing with my audience. All of that is true in this case. Thank you.

- About -
Joe Lamp’l
Joe Lamp’l’s (aka joe gardener®)
infatuation with gardening and
nature began as a child. After a
run-in with his parents’ favorite
shrub, he panicked and jammed
the broken branch into the
ground. A few weeks later, it
had taken root. Joe was not only
relieved; he was also hooked on
horticulture.
As one of the country’s most

recognized and trusted
personalities in gardening and
green-living, that passion for
living a greener life is evident
to a nationwide audience who
watches Joe in his current role as Creator, Executive Producer and Host of the
award-winning PBS series, Growing a Greener World® and previously as host
of Fresh from the Garden on DIY Network and GardenSMART on PBS. Joe also
shares his know-how on NBC’s TODAY SHOW, ABC’s Good Morning America,
The Weather Channel and through his popular books, podcast series, nationally
syndicated newspaper column and more.
The American Horticultural Society selected Joe as the recipient of the Society’s
B.Y. Morrison Communication Award, which recognizes effective and inspirational
communication—through print, radio, television, and online media. The Garden
Writers Association has twice named Joe as Best On-Air Talent for Television.

Off-camera, Joe is founder and Joe behind joegardener.com—a website and
digital media platform devoted to environmentally responsible gardening and
sustainable outdoor living. Joe is deeply committed to “growing a greener
world” through his television series, podcasts and books including, The Green
Gardener’s Guide, nationally syndicated newspaper column and more.
When not talking or writing about gardening and living green, Joe can likely be
found in and around his organic garden and spending time with his family on
their north Atlanta, GA farm.
Let’s Connect!

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What are the main benefits of compost?

What are the main benefits of compost?

What are the basic ingredients needed to make compost?

What are the basic ingredients needed to make compost?

The Complete Guide

WHAT IS COMPOST AND WHY DOES IT WORKS SO WELL? 5

THE MANY BENEFITS OF COMPOST 8

HOW TO MAKE COMPOST WITHOUT GETTING BOGGED DOWN

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE FINISHED COMPOST?

© 2017 joe gardener joegardener.com

PUTTING COMPOST TO WORK (WHEN, HOW, WHERE) 37

CHALLENGES WITH COMPOSTING 45

HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED (AND WHERE TO GET MORE)? 57

DIY COMPOST SIFTER: HOW TO EASILY MAKE YOUR OWN 62

DIY PALLET COMPOST BIN: BUILDING A 3-BIN SYSTEM 64

WHAT CAN BE COMPOSTED: COMPREHENSIVE LIST 68

© 2017 joe gardener 1 joegardener.com

CARBON-TO-NITROGEN RATIO (C:N) CHART 70

© 2017 joe gardener 2 joegardener.com

© 2017 joe gardener 3 joegardener.com

Yet composting seems to be an ever-elusive practice. Many would-be

As I neared the end of my first draft, I decided to send an email to my online

In hindsight, I’m so glad I decided to ask. I almost didn’t, assuming I already

We’re all in this together. Thanks for being a part of it.

© 2017 joe gardener 4 joegardener.com

I am always amazed at how a compost pile can go from a heap of recognizable

© 2017 joe gardener 5 joegardener.com

It consists of an incredible diversity of organisms that make up the cast of

© 2017 joe gardener 6 joegardener.com

There’s one other term that comes up quite

Humus has two main advantages. First, when

© 2017 joe gardener 7 joegardener.com

• Enhances soil tilth (the physical condition of the soil)

© 2017 joe gardener 8 joegardener.com

© 2017 joe gardener 9 joegardener.com

With compost being so well-known as the key input to a thriving garden, I

© 2017 joe gardener 10 joegardener.com

© 2017 joe gardener 11 joegardener.com

So how hot is hot enough for compost to

© 2017 joe gardener 12 joegardener.com

Recipe for Great Homemade Compost

INGREDIENTS: Air, Water, Carbon (browns) and Nitrogen (greens)

© 2017 joe gardener 13 joegardener.com

When you understand that compost is made up of billions of beneficial

The organisms consuming the organic material

If you had a way of knowing the moisture

© 2017 joe gardener 14 joegardener.com

Common examples of brown waste ingredients include dried leaves, small

(For a comprehensive list of compostable ingredients, check out the reference

© 2017 joe gardener 15 joegardener.com

WHAT NOT TO ADD FROM INSIDE

Using Wood Ash in Compost

© 2017 joe gardener 16 joegardener.com

The pH of finished compost hovers around neutral (7.0). But adding an

© 2017 joe gardener 17 joegardener.com

Inorganic, synthetic versions of activators are nitrogen-rich, chemically-

Commonly-used natural activators are microorganism inoculants. When added

A second approach to making compost quicker is by providing extra food for

Some of the most common organic, nitrogen-rich food activators include

CARBON-TO-NITROGEN RATIO (C:N) CHART 70

1. NITROGEN: Dried blood, blood meal, cottonseed meal, fish emulsion and