Ten Composting Tips

One of the best things about composting is that there is very little you can do to mess it up. Composting is a natural process that occurs without any human intervention. Below are ten helpful tips that can be done to speed up the process and make your compost project as successful as possible.

1. One of the most important things to remember is to balance out the materials that give nitrogen and those that give carbon. Grass, fruits and vegetables all add nitrogen to the compost pile. Balance these items out with hay, newspaper, cardboard rolls, and wood chips.

2. In order to make the compost process go quicker, shred all of the material before you place it in the bin. The pieces don't have to be tiny, but the smaller they are, the quicker they will compost. If your compost pile appears to be working properly, but you see a lot of large pieces that have not broken down, it is probably because the pieces were too big to start with. Give your compost pile more time to work if you have already placed larger pieces in the pile.

3. When considering things to compost, think of any type of plant or vegetable that was once living. Leaves, grass from your lawnmower, banana peels, and vegetable scraps all are great additions. There are a few things you want to avoid, such as adding any dairy products or meat. These things will attract insects and other animals to your compost. You also do not want to add any products that contain oils or fats.

4. Consider asking your neighbors or friends to save their organic material for you to add to the compost pile. Many people would be glad to give you their pile of dead leaves or grass clippings.

5. Do you live near the ocean? Seaweed and kelp do great in compost piles.

6. Once your compost pile is set up, it will pretty much function on its own; however, you will want to check the moisture level, especially if your compost bin is located in the direct sunlight. The pile should be moist, but not very wet.

7. It is important to aerate your pile frequently. There are several ways to do this. You can simply toss the material using a shovel or pitchfork or you can use a composting tumbler. When you turn the compost pile, there will be a few days following when the temperature of the compost increases. Compost piles can get up to 170 degrees. This is a sure sign that your compost is "cooking" and working right. You will notice the items begin to turn into a dark brown or black soil-like substance. Keep aerating the compost once or twice a week until it no longer heats up in the days following the aeration. You should no longer be able to see what you originally added to the compost. Instead, the entire pile should look the same and smell like a forest.

8. If animals are getting into your compost pile, you can simply cover it with a lid or if you are not using a bin, you can put a fence around the area and cover the pile with wire meshing.

9. If your compost pile begins to smell, it is likely that it is not getting enough oxygen. Simply turning the pile will usually take care of any odor problems.

10. If your pile is not heating up like it should, it is probably short of nitrogen rich products. Add some vegetable peelings or other green materials. Also check the amount of moisture in your pile. If a compost pile gets too dry, it might not heat up properly.

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