Composting Basics

Here goes my first official Forks in the Dirt blog post; all about COMPOST! Here we cover all the composting basics you need to get started.

(Hope it doesn’t stink…ha)

*Updated 4/1/24 with some new photos and stats*

Some people make their own, some buy it in bags, some take advantage of county-run sites and pick it up by the bucket or truck load. Whichever way you get compost into your soil, it will boost your plants without adding synthetic chemicals. Equally important is keeping your food and yard waste out of landfills! The Natural Resources Defense Council has great articles and ways to get involved in reducing food waste!

the EPA estimates that, “in 2019, 66 million tons of wasted food was generated in the food retail, food service, and residential sectors“

EPA article

Those are numbers that need changing.

So let’s get composting!

Here are some different ways to let decomposition do its thing and create the fuel to grow our plants and not make extra methane in landfills.

Home Brew

Having your own compost bin is hands down the most efficient way to deal with food and yard waste. No transportation, (except a wheelbarrow) and you can manage your own supply based on your demand.

Composting Basics

For compost newbies; what should you put into the pile?
The simple answer is ‘greens’ and ‘browns’.

The ratios are simple: 2 parts green to 1 part brown; one to one works too, just a little slower.

Greens:
Garden + Yard waste- fresh
Grass clippings
Weeds (but weeds with seeds are better on the burn pile)

Browns:
Dead leaves
Wood chips
Wood ash
Coffee grounds/tea bags

Things NOT to add to compost: meat, fish, bones and items like grain, bread, anything with fat.

Decomposition needs carbon (Brown) and Nitrogen (Green), oxygen (air pockets), and enough moisture to keep it rolling. Happy soil bacteria are the tiny workhorses of compost. They start breaking down the plant matter, prepping it for the big guys—worms, slugs, and insects—to finish it off (sterilize it) for us.

The one thing I’ve found that makes or breaks a healthy compost pile becoming finished compost FAST—is turning it over often so it can breathe. Not letting it dry out and covering it during a downpour can help too.

But keep in mind we’re just helping along a normal, natural progression. So lazy composting is completely acceptable; nature will get the job done one way or another.

We have a 4 X 4 foot ‘bare bones’ wood bin (see left), using the easiest plan out there. It is made of timbers cut to 4-foot lengths. Just drill holes through the corners and stack ‘em up on three sides to form the walls. We had some old re-bar we dropped down the drilled holes to secure them in place. We have slats cut for the front wall but never get it on; plus the boys use those pieces for obstacle courses now…

Let Nature Do Its Thing

Six months is a good length of time to let the compost work itself through. Since I’m always focused on everything but compost in the fall, we leave one pile to cook over the winter. So by the time the pile is unfrozen, I’m antsy to get to it.  

We made a simple “sifting frame” with extra wood and some hardware cloth to fit right over our wheelbarrow. I shovel a few scoops into the frame and sift away, ready to roll our homemade garden gold where needed. The bigger chunks of wood, roots, etc. that don’t make it through the sifter get added back to the pile for another round. We get many large wheelbarrows worth of compost every spring using this method. 

Making amazing compost is another reason why I love raising backyard chickens!

Apartment and townhome dwellers rejoice, there are many options for you too! From Bokashi to vermicomposting, there are options for us all to make the most out of our kitchen and garden waste!

Let the Government Work for You!

But if you’re just not ready to experiment with DIY composting, then… 

Did you know most counties around the United States offer yard waste collection and compost pickup? There are seven of these sites in our own Ramsey County alone. Check them out here.

And here’s my Minnesota PSA: “State law prohibits leaves, grass clippings, brush and other plant material from being mixed with your trash.”

When I looked into it I found that the county sites take way more than a regular home compost bin can handle, and more items in general.  

And when you drop yard waste off, you can load up on compost at the same time! (Good thing I have strong + willing helpers.)

The county waste website is updated regularly and they even have a telephone #: 651-633-3279 answered 24 hours a day with a real live person, who knew their stuff on a Saturday morning earlier than my coffee had kicked in.

*Be sure to ask about jumping worm protocol before bringing home any new compost.*

Add It to My Tab

One step further removed from the county collection sites would be to have your yard waste picked up by the garbage collection company for an additional fee. That way, you can add to the community compost heap just by getting your leaves to the curb, which is way better than going into the landfill.

Why is it important to keep food waste out of the landfill?

Landfills are not natural settings for decomposition, so without the whole community of microorganisms to help absorb and reuse the chemicals in the food as it breaks down those chemicals only break down part of the way (aka rot) and release methane gas instead of creating useable fertilizer.

Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is shown to have a warming potential of 21 times that of carbon dioxide. From an EPA website article.

Locally Grown 

Local farms are starting to add organic compost to their sales list. Here’s who I found selling compost on the MN Grown website.

I have to add in a plug here for having backyard chickens. They are the original kitchen waste recyclers, but instead of compost you get eggs. And really tasty eggs. 

Now that we’ve covered the composting basics, please share your own composting tips, tricks, and victories!

Let’s Dig In!

Michelle

“Write from the compost of your own life, feelings, experiences, hopes, joys, disappointments…”

-Mem Fox, Children’s Author