How to Speed Up Decomposition in a Compost Pile

Fresh, moist greens speed up your compost production.

Composting is the process of decomposition that turns kitchen scraps and yard waste into highly nutritive organic matter. Compost is used as a mulch and soil amendment in landscaping and gardening. It may take months or years for materials to break down into suitable compost, especially if you are using bulky materials like trimmed branches or high-carbon materials like old newspapers. Turn items that would otherwise go to waste into valuable compost quickly by including the right elements to speed up the decomposition in your compost pile.

Things You'll Need

• Hose and water source
• Shovel
• Heavy-duty pitchfork
• 3-bay compost bin
• Soil or manure

Instructions

1. Layer compostable materials in the first bay of your compost bin, alternating carbon-rich materials like straw, newspaper or leaves with nitrogen-rich material like kitchen scraps and green weeds. Include a thin layer of soil or manure every several inches of the pile.

2. Water the compost pile thoroughly when it has reached 3 feet high, or the desired height. This will reduce the height of the pile.

3. Add alternating layers of nitrogen-rich and carbon-rich compostable materials, along with thin layers of soil or manure to return the pile's height to 3 feet or more.

4. Wet the compost pile again with a hose once a week. Water it more often during exceedingly hot, dry weather.

5. Turn the compost pile with a pitchfork into the bin's adjacent second bay when the compost pile has decayed to about half its original height. Add a few shovelfuls of soil or manure to the compost as you turn it. You can start a new compost pile in the bin's first bay to ensure a steady supply.

6. Keep the decomposing compost wet with regular applications of water from the hose so that it remains about as damp as a wrung-out sponge.

7. Turn the compost from the second bay to the third bay after two to three weeks. Add a few more shovelfuls of soil or manure. Remove any large segments, such as thick sticks or citrus peels, from the pile. Return them to the first bin for additional decomposition.

8. Distribute the finished compost as mulch or a soil additive in your landscape and garden areas as soon as it resembles dark, crumbly earth.

Tips & Warnings

• Compost accelerators and starters are not necessary if you keep the compost sufficiently moist and include soil or manure in your compost layers.

References

• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Using Composts in Commercial Vegetable and Fruit Operations
• Center for Environmental Farming Systems: Compost Production and Use in Sustainable Farming Systems
• Food and Fertilizer Technology Center: Rapid Composting Technology in the Philippines
• Hawaii Cooperative Extension: Compost for the Home Garden