Composting Guidelines

1. Layer your pile. If you’re building a large compost pile, you’ll want to layer it with alternating layers of “green” and “brown” organic matter. It helps to throw some soil, manure, or completed compost on top to get the microbes working. It's good to put woodier things like dead plant stalks on the bottom and layer veggie scraps, weeds, and dead leaves on top. The amounts of the various types of organic matter will determine how long your compost takes to decompose.

2. Know what to compost and what not to. Before you throw just any organic matter into your bin, make sure you research what your bin can handle. For instance, worms don’t seem to like citrus (too acidic) or anything too spicy, but they love coffee grounds. Keep meat and dairy products out of compost piles, as they can go rancid and also attract critters, though eggshells are ok. And large pieces of wood or sticks may take a long time to break down, so they’re best left out of the compost bin.

3. Let it breathe. For most compost bins, the organic matter needs a way to get oxygen so that it can break down. Worm bins usually have ventilation holes, and allowing some air to get into your compost bin or container helps for this.

4. Keep it moist. Compost needs moisture to aid in decomposition. Water your compost pile a little bit every time you water the garden. It doesn’t like to be soaked though, so in the rainy season you may want to put a tarp over the pile or bin.

5. Turn it occasionally. How often you turn your compost pile depends on how fast everything is breaking down. Normally the center of a compost pile will be warm. Once the heat starts dying down, you can stir or turn it with a garden fork to get the decomposition going again. Stirring your pile every few weeks can help it decompose faster.

6. Multiple piles for a constant supply. If you keep adding kitchen scraps to a compost pile, each addition will be at varying stages of decay. This can make it difficult to know when to harvest finished compost. It may help to start a big pile in the spring, then let it sit (stirring occasionally) and start a new one to add new waste to. This way you always have compost in the works. With vermicomposting, you can keep adding and harvest a layer of the bin, moving the worms to a new layer. With container composting, usually the turn-around time for compost is pretty quick, but multiple containers can’t hurt.


Compost is an artform that’s best learned through practice. Everyone has different methods, which you’ll learn as you experiment. Composting is simple, inexpensive, and very eco-friendly. It’s recycling you can do right at home! You may be amazed at how little ends up in the trash can once you start composting, and instead of filling the landfill, you can turn waste into delicious home-grown produce!

Source: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/compost-101-dont-start-a-garden-without-it.html