How to Start a Successful Backyard Compost

How to Start a Successful Backyard Compost

Coffee filters, egg shells, banana peels, cardboard! Dryer lint, apple cores, dog hair, tea bags!

Grimy bits and peels and scraps…

Garbage, right? Nope! Not at all! These grubby morsels are actually food for food!

Much of the waste found in the home, particularly in the kitchen, holds a wealth of nourishment for our gardens and, in turn, our families! It’s likely that 50% (or more!) of your household ‘garbage’ can be redirected towards a much more nourishing and fruitful end.

Less waste and more food? Yes please!

With the gardening season sprouting over the horizon, now is the time to begin thinking of a composting system that will work for your family.

First, a bit of a disclaimer: There is a wealth of information, ideas, and opinions on composting. Soak it up! Read and research and experiment and discover what works for your household. Until then, use this post as a summary and starting point as you dig into your own home ecosystem.

1. The Basics

A balanced and thriving compost system is much more than a pile of rotting produce. Instead, it’s a living micro-system filled with teeny living organisms, busily breaking down all that ‘garbage’ into easily accessible minerals and nutrients for your plants to take back up and prepare for your food use.

A well-composted garden is going to grow more vigorously while producing food with much higher levels of nutrients for your family.

2. The Key Ingredients

Dry and wet matter (green/brown organic waste)

Oxygen (cuz the little microbes need to breathe, otherwise things get stinky)

Moisture (from water you add as well as natural humidity of the material)

Heat (from the sun as well as the energy of the decomposition)

Space (in the home and yard)

3. The Inside Setup

First, choose an interior container and location. Much of your composting material originates in the home. Choose a location near your main food prep’ area to encourage regular use.

In our home, we have a simple bucket with a lid. It’s kept under the kitchen sink, next to the trash can. Some families with a smaller volume of organic waste keep their container on the counter. Old clay crocks or pots are often an aesthetically pleasing option. Be sure that your container can be easily transported to your exterior site and rinsed out to avoid odours.

What do you put into it?

All plant and simple-paper waste, including: vegetable/fruit peels, eggs shells, coffee grounds/filters, hair, lint, newspaper, and on and on and…

What should you NOT put into it?

Meat and fat (fish bones/innards are alright!)

4. The Outside Setup

First, choose an exterior dumping/decomposing site. The primary work of composting occurs outside of your home when the microorganisms present in your local ecosystem interact with (ie. eating and breaking down) the products you provide.

While there are several models of composters you can purchase, save the cash and use something around your yard! Your home composting systems (HCS) is as simple as tying four old wooden pallets together, or making a circular ‘cage’ out of large mesh wire, or adding some vents to an old garbage can, or even just designating a certain corner of the garden.

Points to remember when choosing your exterior site:

• Ease of access. Keep it convenient enough to use; even during inclement weather or busy days when you might feel it’s easier to just ‘trash’ it.
• Also, be sure you can get to it with a wheelbarrow if you want to add a load of grass or leaves, or if you’re ready to shovel it out for garden application.
• Give it some sunshine and air. While that damp spot behind the garage might be out of sight, it’s not going to give you as much zesty decomposition.

This is the site of your chosen bin. Set it up and you’re ready!

5. How to Build Your Pile

You have your indoor bucket, your outdoor zone/bin, now begin!

First, layer it!

The simplest approach is to start off with layers of dry and wet {ie. green and brown}. Find as many bags of dry materials (dry leaves, straw, newspaper, brown grass, small branches) and as many bags of green materials (green grass, manure, peels, your indoor bucket contents) and layer them in with each layer about 4 inches deep, soaking each layer with water before adding the next one.

{Note: Nature is far more forgiving then we give her credit for, so work with what you have and retain the principle: green and brown make composting go ‘round!

And don’t be scared to ask the neighbors for their old leaves or grass—they’ll be surprisingly thankful! Just avoid materials which have had chemicals applied as they could harm the living system of decomposition}.

A Tip: One of the best kick-off meals you can give your compost pile (exterior) is a good dose of Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium (NPK).

While there are some great commercial brands out there, mixing some good ol’ blackstrap molasses into a liter of warm water and pouring it deep into the center of your pile works great! For those who are a bit more adventuresome in their composting, human urine (particularly of males) provides the perfect ratio of NPK…just don’t tell the neighbours!

6. How to Maintain Your Pile

Finally, maintain.

As your indoor bucket fills, dump it on until it looks like a layer, then add some dry materials. If the season is particularly dry, add some water on occasion.

Once a week (give or take), use a garden fork to do some lifting or turning to add some air for those busy microbes. Depending on the amount of materials, the weather, and the health of your local microbes, you could have beautifully balanced compost within eight weeks!

Note: Depending on space, begin a second pile once the first is about four feet square. By the time the second pile is filled, the first will be ready to apply to your garden!

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So there you have it: a summary and start for you own personal composting adventure!

Try it out and see what happens! In the end, you’ll have less waste, a richer garden, and greater bounty on the table (not to mention some great science lessons for the kids!)

Do you have a backyard compost at your house?

Dea’ Daniels is a mom, wife, student, freelancer, and Seeker way out in Three Hills Alberta. Her days are filled with the color and energy of her three wildling boys, her pre-midwifery studies, and her paramedic husband. Dea’ writes weekly Life reflections at wholedei.com, as well as sharing research and information on natural living at speronaturals.wordpress.com.

Original article and pictures take redandhoney.com site