Directions to Make a Compost Pile
You can improve the growth of your home garden or lawn by using compost. Compost is basically a natural fertilizer that enhances the soil and encourages plant growth. You can make your own compost pile from many different household items, particularly food scraps and lawn trimmings. Making your own compost pile is a way to ensure you have plenty of compost whenever you need it, and it won't cost you much money. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Wire mesh (chicken wire)
- 5 Wooden or metal stakes, 48 inches long
- Hammer or sledge hammer
- Wire ties
- Pliers
- Wood chipper or leaf shredder
- Composting materials (food scraps, newspapers, yard trimmings, livestock manure)
- Shovel or pitchfork
Instructions
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Choose the best location for your compost pile. Select an area that does not receive direct sunlight all day, as this can dry out the compost and cause increased odor.
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Loop a 12-foot-long, 36-inch-wide piece of wire mesh around so that the ends meet and it forms a circle. Tie the two ends together with wire ties and a pair of pliers. Set the wire on flat ground.
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Place the stakes on the inside of the wire so they touch the wire mesh, spacing the stakes out evenly. Drive the stakes into the ground 12 inches with a hammer or sledge hammer. Tie the wire mesh to each stake with wire ties. The stakes will support the wire and prevent it from collapsing.
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Use a shredder or chipper to shred dead yard leaves into smaller pieces. Add a 4-inch layer of the shredded leaves to the bottom of the compost bin.
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Add a 2-inch layer of grass clippings on top of the leaves. Layer another 4 inches of leaves on top of the grass clippings. Add 2 more inches of grass clippings. Continue alternating the leaves and grass clippings until the compost is just a few inches from the top of the bin.
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Place kitchen scraps on the very top of the compost pile. You may also add livestock manure, but do not use human or pet feces, as it will attract insects and generally smells extremely bad. Kitchen scraps will work even better if you chop them up in a blender before adding them to the compost pile.
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Use a shovel or a pitchfork to chop down into the compost material. You need to mix the material together, and drive and food scraps down into the pile where it will break down quickly and not attract pests.
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Water the compost pile until the entire pile is moist, but not soaking wet.
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Cover the compost bin with a plastic sheet or tarp. Tie the edges to the wire mesh with wire ties.
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Remove the tarp after two days and stir the compost with a shovel. Cover the compost again when you are finished. Continue stirring the compost every two to three days for two weeks. The compost could be ready in as soon as two weeks if you have mixed it well during this time.
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Tips & Warnings
Some kitchen scraps that work well for compost include: banana peels, vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells and peanut shells.
Avoid placing the compost bin too close to your house or a neighbor's house.
Avoid any meat or poultry scraps, dairy products, and foods containing animal fat, as these tend to attract rodents.
References
- Photo Credit Martin Poole/Digital Vision/Getty Images
