What is Compost?

About Compost

Compost is a nutrient-rich soil amendment created from decomposed organic matter, enriching the soil and promoting plant growth.

Types of Compost

1. Cold Composting: Collect organic waste and let it decompose naturally over time with minimal effort.
2. Hot Composting: Actively manage a mix of nitrogen-rich and carbon-rich materials, along with air and water, to speed up decomposition, producing compost in 1-3 months.
3. Vermicomposting: Use redworms to consume food scraps, producing nutrient-rich castings that enhance soil health.

Why Should We Compost?

Four core values of compost:

• Reduce waste: Composting diverts organic materials from landfills and reduces methane emissions.
• Enrich soil: Compost adds vital nutrients, improving its structure, fertility, and moisture.
• Promote sustainability: Composting supports the ecosystem and reduces reliance on chemical fertilizers.
• Protect the environment: All people on the planet join hands to compost, promoting a greener and healthier place.

What to Compost

Collect yard waste to make your compost pile: fruit and vegetables, coffee grounds, eggshells, dry leaves, chopped wood and bark chips, straw,...

Tips:

• Keep a container in the kitchen for composting materials.
• Store kitchen scraps in the freezer until ready to add to the larger outdoor pile.
• Avoid adding meat scraps, dairy, cheese, oils, or chemically treated wood to get rid of odors.

How to Compost (Hot Composting)

#1. Combine Green and Brown Materials

Gather materials to make a pile at least 3 feet deep, combining wet (green) and dry (brown) items.

Brown materials like dried plant matter, leaves, cardboard, and wood shavings provide carbon. Green materials like kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, and grass trimmings offer nitrogen.

Aim for a mix of three parts brown to one part green for best results. Adjust by adding more brown if it's too wet or more green if it's too dry.

#2. Water Your Compost Pile

Regularly moisten the compost pile. You should not overwater to miss microorganisms.

Use a compost thermometer or check by hand to ensure proper decomposition.

#3. Stir Your Compost Pile

Use a garden fork to turn the compost pile weekly during the growing season. The best temperature to sir is 130°F to 150°F.

#4. Feed Your Garden with Compost

When the compost pile becomes dry, brown, and crumbly, and no longer emits heat, it is fully decomposed and ready for the garden.

Apply 4 to 6 inches of compost to flower beds and a thick layer to pot tops at the start of each planting season.

Some gardeners make compost tea by steeping finished compost in water for a few days, then straining it to create a homemade liquid fertilizer.

DIY composting at home is interesting. You will be proud to see the garden grow fast thanks to this compost.

Start composting today, and turning your everyday scraps into something that keeps your garden flourishing year after year.