How to Compost at Home

Starting a home compost pile is very simple, and it can be done very cheaply. Anyone who has a garden or flower beds should have their own home compost pile. The organic material that is produced by compost is great food for your garden and flower beds.

The first thing you need to do before you start your home compost pile is to determine where it is going to be located. An ideal spot would not be too far from your gardens, and it would be easy access for you to be able to dispose of items into your compost pile on a daily basis. It should also be in an area so that will not be an eyesore to the neighbors.

The next thing you should decide is the type of compost bin you are going to use. There are two basic types, the open compost bin and the closed compost containers. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. You should become familiar with the advantages and disadvantages and use these to make your decision.

The tools that you will need to start a compost at home will include a pitchfork for mixing and turning the compost. A shovel for removing finished compost from a bin and a garden cart to transport compost to the garden.

Compost is made up of a mixture of water, air, brown materials and green materials. The water and air part of the mixture is easy to come by.

The brown part of the compost mixture will consist of things such as brown, dry leaves, dried grass, shredded cornstalks and some straw. The brown materials are high in carbon. It is difficult to get too much brown material in a compost mixture.

The green part of the compost contains things such as fresh grass clippings, and fresh manure. It will also consist of kitchen scraps such as vegetables, coffee grounds and tea bags. You can also add leftover fruits from the garden and weeds. The green part of the compost mixture adds nitrogen. It is important that you add green items to a compost pile in moderation.

The ideal mixture of browns and greens in a compost pile is roughly four parts brown to one part greens. If you have too much green you will end up with a smelly garbage dump.

It is not necessary to add worms to a compost pile to get it started. The bacteria and fungi found on the dried leaves and weeds will suffice. It is a good idea to throw in a shovel of garden soil once in a while. This soil will contain worms and tiny bugs that can aid in the composting process.

There are a few things you should never add to your compost pile. Do not add meat, fish or animal fats because these items will attract unwanted visitors. You should not add dog or cat feces because there is too much risk of nasty diseases. You should never add barbeque ashes to your compost pile.

Once you have a compost pile, you can use it in various areas around your yard. Use it to fertilize flower beds and vegetable gardens. You can also use it to fertilize trouble spots in your yard.