Backyard Hot or Cold Composting

In the natural world, composting happens as leaves and other organic materials pile up on the forest floor and begin to decay. Eventually, the soil reclaims the material, which provides nutrients to the living plants nearby. Backyard composting is simply a method for speeding up the natural process.

The critical ingredients in a compost pile are air, water, browns and greens. Browns are the source of carbon. Browns are dry materials such as dried leaves, wood chips, evergreen leaves, paper and straw. Greens are the source of nitrogen. Greens are moist, fresh materials such as grass clippings, manure, blood or cottonseed meal, coffee grounds and fruit and vegetable scraps.

A Basic Approach to Backyard Hot Composting (Quick method)

1. Find a suitable location for your compost pile. As bugs will assist in the composting process, place the pile at least two feet away from any type of structure.
   A bin can be used to keep the pile tidy and protect the pile from wind and rain. Either build or buy a bin. A bin can be as simple as a cylinder of chicken wire. There are numerous sources for compost bins on the Internet.
   
   To retain heat and moisture, the pile should be at least 1 cubic yard. The bin should not have an area larger than 5 feet by 5 feet as aerating a pile that large would be too difficult.
   
2. Find carbon (browns) and nitrogen (greens) to add to your compost pile. The optimal environment for bacterial growth is a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 30 to 1 by weight. Mastercomposter.com had provided some rules of thumb to help achieve this optimal ratio. If you are composting leaves and grass, gather about 60% leaves and 40% fresh grass. If you have some fresh materials and some dry materials, gather equal amounts of each. If you have both vegetative and animal matter, gather 20% vegetative and 80% animal.
3. Add the browns and greens to the pile in alternating layers, adding water as you go. Make sure that the browns and greens are in contact with each other by either having very thin layers (about 4 inches) or by mixing the brown and green layers with a pitchfork or other garden tool as you add them.
   The pile should be approximately 45 to 50 percent water or damp as a wrung-out sponge.
4. Cover the pile with a tarp, plastic bag, or other impermeable surface to keep in moisture and prevent overwatering from rain.
5. In two to four days, check the temperature of your compost pile. Either use a compost thermometer or simply stick your hand into the pile. The pile can reach temperature of 140 degrees F so please be careful.
   
   If the pile is not hot, add more nitrogen (greens). If the pile smells, add more carbon (browns). Be sure to mix the new emergency additions into the existing pile and add moisture if necessary.
6. Monitor the moisture of your pile. There should be enough water that it almost drips from your hand when you squeeze a handful. Add water as necessary.
7. Aerate the pile by either rebuilding the pile or turning with a pitchfork. To minimize the amount of time it takes to compost, aerate the pile when the temperature in the pile begins to drop. If you aerate about once a week, the pile should be ready for use in the yard in about one month.

Compost is ready when the heat of decompostion has dissipated and most of the original ingredients are unrecognizable.

A Basic Approach to Backyard Cold Composting (Easy method)

Some people may opt for the cold composting method. Simply add organic materials to a pile or bin as they are generated. Add water from time to time to achieve the moisture content of a wrung out sponge and in six months to a year, the bottom portion of the pile will be a rich compost.

Materials to Avoid in the Compost Pile

• Meats, dairy products, oily foods, and grains
• Droppings from meat-eating animals
• Weeds with seeds or runners
• Diseased and insect-infested plants
• Shavings and sawdust from treated wood, and other materials containing strong preservatives or other toxins
• Ashes

How to Use the Compost

To maintain a lawn or garden, sprinkle a half-inch layer of sifted compost on it once each year and water it in.

Mix 3 inches of compost into the top 8 to 10 inches of soil for intensive gardening.
Use compost as about one-third of a potting soil mix to add nutrients and to control fungus.