Making Your Own Compost by Anne Kinney

Photo: Anne Kinney

Making your own compost is fairly simple and gives you the added benefit of being able to enrich your soil. You can do that with bagged compost but by making your own you also prevent large amounts of biodegradable material from being tossed into the landfill. 

Begin by finding or making a bin with boards, fencing, chicken wire (similar to the one pictured) or by purchasing a compost tumbler. Many types are available. Search the internet or retailers for this item. 

Next step is to make layers (in roughly equal amounts by volume and in small pieces) of: 
1- nitrogen sources (aka greens) like grass clippings, vegetable scraps, and coffee grounds (though brown in color are a source of nitrogen)

2- carbon sources (aka browns) like autumn leaves, small amounts of brown paper, sawdust from UNTREATED wood, and straw 

3- small shovels of soil add beneficial soil microbes to the mix

4- add enough water to make it feel like a wrung-out sponge 

Turn often with a fork - about once a week - to aerate and re-water as necessary to maintain that wrung-out sponge feel

Note: if you spot this larvae in the pile don’t be alarmed. It is actually your composting friend!  They love rotting fruits and vegetables and will make quicker work of the whole process. 

Bumble Flower Beetle larvae
Photo:  Iowa State University

Some things NOT to compost 
1- meat, oil, fat or grease
2- dairy products 
3- diseased plant material 
4- weeds that go to seed
5- sawdust from treated wood
6- feces from meat eaters- e.g. cats, dogs, or humans
7- manure - even from livestock as most compost piles don’t get hot enough to kill off harmful bacteria. e.g. e-coli. 

Your compost is ready to go in about three months when most of the material is unrecognizable as the original. 
 
Your finished compost can be used to improve a new bed being prepared for planting by adding about an inch on top of the existing soil and working it in or to amend back fill for plants from a nursery. 

See also CSU Fact sheet #7.212 for additional information on composting.