How to Make Fast Compost

Gardeners call compost "black gold" for good reason. It is a valuable addition to any kind of soil, improving its texture, drainage and moisture retention. It provides nutrients for plants and attracts worms to your garden. Making compost is not complicated and can take as little as two weeks, but may take a year or more. The right combination of materials and turning the pile will speed the process along.

Things You'll Need

• Compost bin
• Compost materials
• Compost accelerator
• Soil
• Finished compost (can be purchased)
• Garden fork
• Watering can or hose
• Screen on a wooden frame (optional)

Instructions

1. Choose where to situate your compost pile and acquire a bin. A tumbling bin or open-bottomed black plastic bin will produce results the fastest. The black color retains heat, which accelerates the composting. You can also use a wire or wood enclosure or a large garbage can with a lid.

2. Gather "brown" compostable materials. These items are high in carbon, but are not necessarily brown in color. Straw, hay, dried grass clippings, dry leaves, paper and sawdust are some examples.

3. Gather "green" compostable materials which are high in nitrogen, though they may not be green in color. Kitchen scraps, livestock manure, coffee grounds, fresh grass clippings, weeds and spent garden plants are what you are looking for.

4. Layer the materials in approximately 6-inch bands in your compost enclosure, beginning with brown materials. Sprinkle the layers as you go with water until lightly moistened. The smaller the pieces of material, the faster they will decompose.

5. Add a few handfuls of garden soil and finished compost every so often as you are layering. This adds the needed microbes to your pile that will actively compost the materials.

6. Add a compost accelerator to some layers. You can purchase one, sometimes called "compost starter," at your garden center. Other accelerators include dry dog food and, believe it or not, urine. You can collect your own.

7. Leave the compost alone for a few days. Then use a garden fork to turn and mix up the pile. If you are using a tumbling composter, give it a turn or two.

8. Repeat Step 7 every few days for two weeks. Add water if materials are getting too dry. Add more brown materials or leave the cover off the composter if materials are too wet. At this point, your pile should be generating heat, which is a by-product of the decomposition and will kill some weed seeds and plant pathogens.

9. Allow your compost to cure for several weeks once heat is no longer generated after turning. Protect your compost from rain, and do not turn it or add to it.

10. Screen compost, if desired, to remove large chunks and put them back in your composter for the next round. Apply your finished compost as topdressing in your garden, or mix it with soil for a potting medium.

Tips & Warnings

• You do not have to use a compost bin, but it generally speeds things up.

• Do not add cat, dog, human or pig feces to your composter. Do not add meat scraps, oils or dairy products.