How To: Build Your Own Compost Pile

One of my wife's goals when we moved into our home was to start her own compost pile. As we lived in an apartment before, there are a number of obvious reasons why we couldn't leave our organic waste like eggshells and fruit skins lying around, so she couldn't wait to start once we had our own yard and our own space to experiment with. The question I always had for her before I understood the process was "why do you want to compost?"

There are actually a number of benefits to starting your own compost pile that I wasn't aware of. For one, starting and maintaining a compost heap in your backyard will actually help you come up with good, fertile soil for plants and gardens. Not only will you cut down on what you spend to fertilize your own plants, it also is scientifically proven to grow plants with less pests.

On top of all of that, there are actually a lot of green benefits to composting. With a growing problem of waste in landfills, cutting down on the amount we set out in trash bins is ultimately a green endeavor. Why throw it away when you can turn it into something useful and help out the environment?

So, if you've ever been interested in starting your own compost pile, here are a few tips for beginners.

• The Bin.  First and foremost, you need a place to store your organic waste until you have the time to take it to the pile. This should be a sealable container of some sort, with a few small breathing holes so the decomposition can begin to take place. In our home, we just have a small sealable plastic bin with tiny air holes poked into the top.

• Building the pile. There are many methods to building a compost pile, but it's best to start with a shady area. For one, it should not be in direct sunlight all day. While it needs heat, it also needs moisture. Second, you might want to keep it out of view of the neighbors. The designated are needs to be able to collect moisture, and should also be kept away from the side of the house or up against a fence or tree. Wood in contact with it could possibly decay. Make sure the pile has enough room to spread out, as it speeds up the process. Anywhere between 3 to 5 feet per dimension should suffice.

• Finding the right balance. What really produces the best compost is the right balance of carbon and nitrogen. Think of carbon as brown and nitrogen as green. Brown items such as twigs, leaves, grass clippings and other natural things produce carbon. Organic waste like fruit, eggshells and the like produce nitrogen. You need a good balance of both items in the pile for the right chemical breakdown to occur. In addition, there are items which you should not add at all, even though they might make sense to you to do so, such as dairy or meat. You can get a better list of those at the EPA's Compost page.

• Layering. While it sounds gross, thinking of the compost pile in terms of a casserole or lasagna is the way to ultimately build it. A layer of carbon/nitrogen wastes, then fertilizer, then soil. Repeat.

• Caring for your compost. Goofy, I know, but your compost needs care just like any other part of your garden. On top of its waste materials, it needs heat, water and air. Water it every so often if it is looking particularly dry, and turn it with a pitchfork once a week or whenever you add a new batch of compostable materials into it. This helps aerate it and breaks it down even faster so you can get the good stuff.

• Keep visitors away. It's usually a good idea to surround your pile with a barrier of some sort, either with mesh fencing or a small see through container. This will help keep away pests and other animals that might smell something they'd like to dig up. Or throw at you.

• Use it. Your compost is ready to use when it is rich or dark in color, which could take anywhere from a couple of months up to a year, depending on how often it is turned, or when more compost is added to it. At this point, it's ready to be used in your garden or landscaping.

Got any stories you'd like to share about your experience in building your own compost heap? Feel free to share in the comments. For more information about composting, visit the EPA or WikiHow.