More and more people these days are composting, and for good reason. Composting is a simple process which offers many benefits. When you turn your garden refuse and kitchen scraps into compost, you are creating fertilizer for your plants and conserving landfill space. Compost will improve your soil, giving it the ability to hold moisture and drain well. Even hard soils will be improved by adding compost.
Composting can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. Compost bins and tumblers can be purchased or you can make your own, or simply leave your compost materials in a pile without a bin.
To make compost, you’ll need a good mix of “brown” and “green” material. Brown materials are things like dried leaves, coffee grounds, shredded paper and straw. Green materials are grass clippings, fresh garden refuse and kitchen scraps. Add the brown and green ingredients in layers,. Avoid adding bones, meat scraps or dairy products to your compost. These items decompose slowly and will attract animals to your compost pile.
Manure is also a good addition to compost, but manure from meat-eating animals should be avoided. Manure contains a great deal of nitrogen and also beneficial microbes that will help the composting process. Manure makes a great fertilizer, but it
should be composted before adding it to the garden because fresh manure is so strong or “hot” that it will burn tender plants.
A compost pile will heat up and cook more quickly if it is kept moist. Compost should be as moist as a sponge that has been wrung out. Too much or too little moisture will slow the decomposition process. A compost pile that is cooking properly will feel warm or hot inside the pile. If the temperature inside the pile is no warmer than the air temperature, the pile needs more green material and perhaps more moisture.
Air circulation is also important for a compost pile. A compost pile that is regularly mixed or turned will decompose much faster than one that is never turned. But given enough time, even a compost pile that is never turned will eventually decompose.
Concerned about the smell of a compost pile or worried that it will attract rodents? Simply bury fresh materials in the middle of the pile or cover the smelly material with some soil. Burying the material in the pile will add some needed air circulation, and the addition of soil will also include some helpful microbes.
Finished compost will look like good black soil and can be added liberally to your garden. Make your own compost for your garden and you will soon understand why it is called black gold.

Composting is an easy, economical way to keep nutrient-rich plant food at the ready. Not only is it good for your plants, if you pay by the can for waste removal, it can also be good for your garbage bill! Here is an inexpensive way to get started.
Materials needed:

* A 55-gallon garbage can with a tight fitting lid ( use plastic or galvanized metal).
* Hammer & large nail (or drill)
* 2 Cinder blocks (or bricks, or lumber scraps) to elevate the finished bin off the ground.
* Pie tin to catch compost tea
* Work gloves & protective eyewear
* Watering can or garden hose
* Bungee strap to secure lid (optional)
* 100 Red Wiggler worms (optional)

Directions for Assembly

Organic materials need oxygen to decompose, so using a hammer and nail (or drill), punch air holes into the garbage can at 4-6 inch intervals until you have covered the surface of the can (don’t forget your gloves and eyewear). Flip the can over and punch 4 equidistant holes near the center of the bottom for drainage. Elevate the can using blocks and place the pie tin underneath it to catch any liquid compost tea that drains out (this is great for feeding houseplants).

Layering the Compost
Layer 1: Start by spreading a layer of garden soil (or saw dust) 3 inches deep on the bottom of the can. For faster composting, you can add Red Wiggler worms on top of this layer. Unlike earthworms (don’t use them, they won’t work), Red Wigglers are champion composters. They are inexpensive and easily available online. They multiply rapidly, so 100 will be plenty to start with. If you don’t want to use worms,
don’t worry. You don’t need them.

Layer 2: Next add some chopped leaves, junk mail, shredded cardboard, or a few sheets of newspaper. These materials are rich in carbon and referred to as browns. Other examples of browns include straw, woodchips or saw dust.

Layer 3: Your next layer should contain nitrogen-rich materials, also called greens. Greens include grass clippings, pet hair, dust bunnies, vegetable and fruit peelings, coffee grounds, and other non-fatty kitchen scraps including eggshells. If you are composting with worms, avoid onions and keep citrus peelings to a minimum (worms don’t care for them). Avoid meat scraps and fatty foods like salad dressings and dairy products. They emit a strong odor when decomposing which attracts animals. Finish with another couple of handfuls of garden dirt and a few sprinkles from a watering can. Close the lid and you are all set! If you don’t have enough materials to create all three layers right away, don’t worry. Just keep adding waste as you generate it. Each time you add a layer of green, cover it with some browns and
a few more handfuls of garden dirt.

Moisture
Along with oxygen, moisture must be present for the organic materials to break down. Ideally, try to maintain moisture levels in the can similar to that of a wrung out sponge.

Mixing
At least once a week, roll the can on the ground to mix its contents. If the can becomes to heavy to handle, mix it using a pitchfork or shovel.

Adding Compost to the Garden
Depending on conditions, you can expect finished compost in as soon as 4 to 6 weeks. If composting with worms, leave the cover off for a few days before emptying the compost into the garden. The worms don’t like light and will move to the bottom of the can where they’ll be easy to separate out and use again once the can is empty.

Q: I’m looking for a quick way to break down a large amount of grass clippings in my compost bin. We had a large amout of rain here in IL (that included flooding in the area) a couple of weeks ago. And after we got done mowing a couple of weeks ago, we had a lot of grass clippings that the mulcher on our mower couldn’t handle. We have a large pile in our yard and I want to get rid of it. I put some of the clippings in the composter. I put a layer of clippings then shredded paper, then clippings then paper and so on. Will this do the trick to get it done fast. I want quality compost but also want those gone quickly so it looks better in our yard and before the leaves start falling. Any suggestions?

Ans: To increase decomposition of the pile go to the garden center and pick up a Bag of Manure and add that to the pile and then cover it with a Tarp. Then about every other day turn the pile. The combination of the microbic action from the manure and oxygen from the turning will heat up the clippings really fast the covering with the tarp will keep the heat confine to the pile and in 5 to 10 days the clippings volume should be reduce by 2/3s and ready for distribution into the garden.
-There could be a matting problem with both the paper and the grass. They create layers that air can’t pass though. This means that you will have to turn it about once a week. If you don’t get the air to the compost the bacteria will go anaerobic and this will stink and take longer to compost.
-You should sprinkle a hand full of soil/finished compost between each layer. This gets all the right bugs into the pile ASAP and will aid the speed of your composting.
-If there is a lot of rain cover your pile. Too much water will give you a sloppy goopy stinking anaerobic mess.
-Finally make sure you have enough shredded paper to grass. If you don’t have the right ratio it won’t compost very quickly. 50:50 should be OK.