Composting 101 for Beginners

Composting is one of the simplest methods to decrease household waste and generate nutrient-dense soil for gardening. It’s an environmentally friendly practice that helps the environment, your plants, and even your wallet. If you don’t know where to begin, this composting 101 for beginners guide will take you through the basics so you can turn food scraps and yard debris into precious compost.

What is Composting?

Composting is a natural process in which organic material, such as food scraps and yard waste, breaks down into a dark, nutrient-rich substance known as compost. This process emulates nature’s method of recycling organic matter, transforming it into nutrient-rich resources for plants.

Why Composting Matters

Composting has countless environmental, economic, and personal advantages:

Reduces Landfill Waste: Food waste is one of the major components of landfills. Composting diverts the waste from landfills, which helps avoid methane emissions and saves valuable landfill space.
Enhances Soil Quality: Compost adds nutrients to soil.
Reduces Chemical Use: Using compost minimizes the need for synthetic clay (which can be harmful to the environment).
It Saves Money: There will be less waste and repetition in buying trash bags, paying for disposal, and purchasing garden materials.

Guide to Composting for Beginners: Step by Step

Choose a Composting Method

First, pick a way of composting that works for your space, lifestyle, and objectives:

Backyard: Best for people who have outdoor space. Compost kitchen scraps and yard waste in a compost bin or pile.
Vermicomposting: Ideal for small spaces. This technique utilizes worms to rapidly decompose food waste.
Bokashi: Getting Started: The bokashi method converts food scraps into compost. Similar to indoor composting, use countertop compost bins or bokashi systems.

Understand What to Compost

Composting is a balance between “browns” (carbon-rich materials) and “greens” (nitrogen-rich materials):

Browns: Dry leaves, cardboard, shredded paper, sawdust, straw.
Greens: Fruit and vegetable scraps, grass clippings, coffee grounds, eggshells.

Do Not Compost: Meat, dairy, oily foods (like butter and margarine), pet waste, treated wood (including pallets) — other than treated wood, these can attract pests or slow the composting process.

Choose a Compost Bin or Area

Find a place or receptacle to compost in:

Outdoor Compost Bin: Choose bins that have proper ventilation and are well-constructed.
Compost Pile: It’s as simple as claiming a corner of your yard to compost.
Indoor Compost Bin: Choose a covered and odor-proof bin for limited spaces.

Build Your Compost Pile

You should layer materials to form a proper compost pile:

The base is a layer of brown, for proper drainage.
Layers of dark and light green and brown.
Moisten layer by layer, to keep it damp (like a wrung-out sponge).

Maintaining Your Compost Pile

It takes regular work and attention to build a compost pile, but once you know the basics, it’s an easy thing to do. First things first: Aeration. Turning your compost pile occasionally — ideally every one to two weeks — introduces oxygen, which is required by the microorganisms that break down organic matter. A well-aerated pile breaks down more quickly and efficiently and helps prevent stinky smells.

Controlling moisture is equally important. The pile should feel like a wrung-out sponge: damp, but not overwatered. If the pile is too dry, decomposition will slow, and you’ll need to add water or greens high in moisture. If it is too wet, however, add browns—things like shredded paper or straw—to bring the compost in balance.

A proper balance of greens to browns is essential for compost to break down. Greens—which include fruit peels and grass clippings—provide nitrogen, while browns—which include cardboard and dried leaves—supply carbon. Two parts browns to one part greens or three parts browns to one part greens are generally the best ratios. If your pile delivers a rotten-whiff smell, it’s likely so full of greens that it needs more brown material added and mixed in. But if decomposition seems slow, feed the greens or cut materials into smaller pieces to accelerate it.

Testing regularly means you catch problems early. Check for pests or excessive dryness and make adjustments. If you continue these practices, your compost pile will thrive, producing nutrient-rich compost in two to three months or so, depending on materials and conditions.

Harvest Your Compost

When the compost is finished, it will be dark, crumbly, and smelling earthy. Use it to:

Enrich garden soil.
Topdress potted plants.
Jazz up the health of your lawn.

Common Problems with Composting and What to Do

If something doesn’t seem right about your compost, don’t panic. Here are solutions to common problems:

Bad Smells: Mix in more browns and aerate the pile.
Too Dry Pile: Add water and stir.
Slow Decomposition: Chop materials smaller and add more greens.
Pests: Don’t add meat or dairy and make sure the bin is tightly sealed.