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I have always been scared of composting… the worms, the stink, the sight of it all. Growing up, we had a big backyard surrounded by woods and families of deer. All our kitchen “compostables” went behind our rock wall and fed the deer families!

Thankfully, I have gotten over my fear and realized that composting is really simple. If you are creating an outdoor compost for your home, here are a few basics to get started.

1. Buy or make a bin at least 3’x3’x3’ or larger. Find out how, here. Pre-made bins can be found, here or through Amazon.com

2. The bin should have an open bottom so the compost is in direct contact with the earth.

3. Start with a layer of straw or twigs (the smaller the pieces, the better).

4. Pile on veggie/fruit waste from the kitchen, grass from the yard, even newspapers, shredded cardboard, weeds, flowers, etc. DO NOT put your dog’s poop in the compost, it will become toxic! However, if there is a cow nearby, grassy manure is A-OK!

5. Key to the compost is adding more carbon than nitrogen, at least a 3/1 ratio. What are carbon/nitrogen materials you ask? Here are examples of each: Carbon, or brown compost = wood, bark, shredded cardboard, corn stalks, pine needles, grass, leaves, shredded newspaper, sawdust, even dryer lint! Nitrogen or green compost = Flowers, garden or kitchen waste, coffee grounds, weeds, seaweed, hedge clippings, manures, veggie scraps, grass clippings, etc.

6. In order to create an optimal environment for decomposition, you need to do two things: water and aerate. Water about once a week, only slightly to moisten the compost so that the microbes that feed on the waste can survive but not so much that your pile becomes slimy. Aerate every few days to enable oxygen to get to all of the compost and aid in breaking down the waste. Earthworms will also help the decomposition process. Find out more about vermicomposting (using worms in your compost) at the US EPA website.

7. In order to keep control of the level of moisture in your compost, putting a lid on it is ideal.

8. To ward off pesky flies and a stinky stench, every time you add kitchen waste, cover it with a pile of leaves or grass.

9. For the compost to be complete, it could take anywhere from three months to one year. How do you know when it is done? The soil should be dark, soft and crumbly, not fibrous at all and it should have a slightly sweet, earthy smell. If it is fibrous, close the lid and just wait longer!

10. Use the compost for potting or gardening, it will greatly enrich the soil and the growth of whatever you choose to grow. If you don’t want to grow anything, well at least you reduced your garbage waste by anywhere from 50-70% and enriched the soil in your yard!

Also, if you live in an apartment or just can’t get around to building an outdoor compost, there are great, inexpensive indoor composters you can easily find online at Target or Nature Mill

The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and not necessarily those of Healthy Child Healthy World.

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