How to Compost Successfully!

Anyone can Compost!

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A 3 ft by 3 ft space in the yard
• A rake
• Kitchen debris, lawn debris
• Twigs
• Soil
• A desire to help the planet stay green!

1. Your compost heap should be at least 3 foot square. That’s a good size if you’re starting out, and is easy to maintain.
   
   Use branches and/or twigs for the bottom layer to allow some air flow.

2. Use branches and/or twigs for the bottom layer to allow some air flow.
   Then add a layer of leaves and/or garden trimmings (the carbon or brown layer). Next comes a layer of kitchen scraps (the nitrogen or green layer).
   
   Only animal manure from VEGETARIAN animals is allowed in the nitrogen layer.

3. The top layer should be 4 - 6 inches of soil.
   
   As new layers are added, you can turn the pile. Add water to keep the compost heap moist.
   
   You should have a good compost heap going in as little as 2 months.

Tips & Warnings

• Only animal manure from VEGETARIAN animals is allowed in the nitrogen layer.
• GOOD ITEMS FOR COMPOSTING: kitchen scraps, garden trimmings, grass cuttings, leaves, shredded paper, straw, wood chips, small branches and twigs, kitchen scraps, plant materials (i.e., potting soil).
• If your compost heap starts to stink, you need to turn it more often. Add more dry material (dry leaves, sawdust, straw) and turn more frequently.
• BAD ITEMS FOR COMPOSTING - DO NOT USE!!!! meat, dairy, bones, fish, lard, human hair, chemically treated wood (don’t use the old wood from your old deck), bread, grains, color paper, glossy paper, invasive weeds, human waste.
• Only animal manure from VEGETARIAN animals is allowed in the nitrogen layer.

[shirleybill]

on 9/21/2009 Good information.

[LSUSandie]

on 4/6/2008 thank you so much for simplifying the procedure for making a compost pile. Is it true that sprinkling the product that people use to clean or treat their septic tanks speeds up the process of making compost?

[SunflowerOcity]

on 10/19/2007 Good stuff BlueMoon! See also: http://www.ehow.com/how_2072035_do-easy-composting-garden.html