How to Bucket Compost
If you compost your organic food waste but live in a cold-weather climate, bucket composting is a great way to extend the process year-round. Although you can continue to put your scraps on your outdoor compost pile in the winter, the cold weather means nothing will happen until the temperatures start to heat up. If you want to continue composting in the winter, you can place a bucket indoors. Bucket composting is also a good idea for people who have limited yard space but still want to compost. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- 2 5-gallon buckets
- 2 bucket lids
- Sawdust or peat moss
- Dry soil
- Newspaper
- Trowel
Instructions
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Fill the first bucket with equal parts of dry soil and either peat moss or dry sawdust. Make sure the sawdust is not from painted or pressure-treated wood.
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Place an inch-high layer of newspapers at the bottom of the second bucket. If no newspapers are available, you can also use leaves or straw.
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3
Dump organic food scraps onto the pile in the second bucket as they become available.
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4
Sprinkle a small amount of the sawdust mix over the kitchen scraps each time they are added to the second bucket. This will help balance the moisture level in the bucket and eliminate foul odors.
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Loosely place the lid on the bucket to keep the moisture inside. Do not lock the bucket lid in place.
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Once the bucket is half-full, let it sit undisturbed for between one and three months. Be sure to mix it thoroughly once or twice a week with a trowel.
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After a few months of sitting, use the newly-created compost to fertilize plants or flowers or around your garden.
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Tips & Warnings
Smaller food scraps will decompose faster, so chop up large pieces to speed up the process. If you quickly fill your compost bucket, start filling a second bucket with scraps while the first is decomposing. If your bucket begins to smell, add more of the dry sawdust mix.
