Good Chemistry: Green Tips for Better Health, from Planned Parenthood of Northern New England

How to Start Your Own Compost Pile

10-compostSo, I know what you’re probably thinking. Compost? That’s going to be gross and messy. I was hesitant at first too, but once I gave it a try I learned that composting is a wonderful, environmentally-friendly way to get rid of food scraps and yard waste while at the same time generating high quality usable soil.

Here are some simple tips to get started:

Step 1—Select a Spot

  • Choose a location that is far enough away to avoid odor, but is still convenient enough to visit on a regular basis.
  • Make sure the spot isn’t too sunny or windy—this will cause the compost pile to dry out.
  • Do not place the pile on top of a hard surface such as concrete, as this will prevent drainage.

Step 2—Pick a Composting Method. These include:

  • Building a pile on the ground.
  • Constructing a bin or pen out of wood or chicken wire.
  • Purchasing a bin or tumbler.

Whichever method you choose, the enclosure should be about 3x3 feet.

Step 3—Add both carbon-rich and nitrogen-rich materials. These include:

  • Cardboard (Carbon)
  • Wood shavings (Carbon)
  • Newspaper (Carbon)
  • Manure (Nitrogen)
  • Grass clippings (Nitrogen)
  • Algae (Nitrogen)

Things such as vegetable peelings and fruit cores are great to add to the pile. Do not add pet waste or meat scraps as these can spread disease and smell really bad! Make sure to turn and water your pile often. When the soil looks dark brown and crumbly it is ready to use.

Happy composting!

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 18th, 2010 at 11:30 am and is filed under Food, Gardening. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

 

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