There’s a buzz of activity around my compost bin as a pair of wrens hunt insects for their newly hatched brood. Luckily, it’s the best place in the garden to sit. You can watch the spectacular show of the parents perching momentarily with their still-wriggling prey held tightly in their beaks.

As compost decomposes, it creates heat which in turn provides a comfy home for a host of bugs. The bugs crawl and fly around the outskirts, many helping in the decomposition process.

How to Start Composting at Home

Adding compost to the soil is what gives gardeners the proverbial “green thumb.” The soil amendment gives plants what they need to thrive, helps with balanced hydration and even helps reduce fungal issues.

Building the Perfect Pile

Anything that was once living will become compost. In the kitchen, things like eggshells, coffee grinds, fruit and vegetable scraps and unbleached paper towels can make their way to the compost pile. Additionally, avoid adding meats, dairy products, and oils because they attract rodents, but you can add disease-free plant material from the garden.

Use layers of green material from the garden and kitchen, alternating with brown material. This can include carbon-rich items like dried leaves and newspaper print. Together, they create the balance that makes the best compost. They can help you cut down on what you send to landfill.

Pick the Compost Systems That Work for You

There are many different systems for composting. I have three bins. I fill the first bin with fresh material. Furthermore, once it’s full, I start adding to number two, and by the time that fills up, number one is usually ready to harvest. While I use the finished compost from bin number one, I’ll start filling up number three.

Usually, it takes a year for a passive system like I am using for one bin to be ready. Using a garden fork to turn the pile over can speed up the process. If you turn rotating bins daily, you can make compost in just over a month.

Story by Doug Oster, Editor of Gardening With Doug
Styling by Keith Recker
Photography by Erin Kelly

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