How to Start a Compost Pile

(Page 2 of 2)

Sept. 23, 2008
By Heidi Hunt 
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  • whole or chopped leaves and stalks (if chopped, they will break down quicker)
  • vegetable and fruit trimmings
  • herbicide-free grass clippings
  • weeds
  • straw or hay
  • shredded paper or cardboard
  • manure from grazing animals

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If you have too much wet, green material (grass clippings and fruit or veggie trimmings), the pile may get smelly. If you have too much dry, brown material (chopped leaves, straw or shredded paper), the heap will take much longer to decompose. So, a fairly equal ratio of greens and browns will produce the most efficient pile.

There are a few ingredients you should never add to your composting pile:

  • meat
  • oily or greasy food and paper
  • manure from meat-eating animals, such as dogs and cats
  • herbicide-treated grass or other clippings

Keep it Going

Now that you have a pile of mixed vegetable matter, what do you do with it? You will want to keep it damp, similar to a wrung-out sponge. To speed up the decomposing process (this is where the space beside the container comes in) turn the material every week or two. The easiest way to do this is to lift the cage off and set it next to the pile. Then fork the pile back into the cage, thus inverting and mixing the material. If the material seems dry, spray it with your garden hose while you’re turning the pile. It is not necessary to turn the pile, but it will accelerate the process. Over time, unless you are adding a lot of new material, your pile will decrease in size as it decomposes.

Within a few months of adding to the mix and regularly turning it, you will have rich, nutritious compost to add to your garden soil.

Have questions about compost? Fire away! Just submit them to Ask Our Experts.
Do you have a composting tip to share? Please add it to the comments section below.

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Comments

  • gaia 4/11/2009 11:41:03 AM

    If you are interested in a hot compost pile, and you don't have access to manure from grazing animals, do a google search on joe jenkins and read his free book on humanure. Another way to save mother earth, and cut back on pollution of fresh clean drinking water.

  • Michael 10/4/2008 9:03:03 PM

    Weeds, seeds, etc all no problem IF and only IF your compost pile is large enough that it is generating sufficient HEAT to kill off the weeds, seeds, roots etc etc. I make quite a large compost pile and weeds and everything goes into it and then I'll leave them in there and providing there is sufficient heat generated by the compost decomposing, enough air and enough moisture the heat inside the pile can be too hot to touch which is plenty hot enough to "cook" the seeds. Not sure what the temp needs to be, but if you leave the seeds inside that cooking compost long enough they are NOT going to grow when you put it out on your garden.

  • armygirlvet 10/1/2008 7:42:33 PM

    I've never started a compost pile but my research so I can do so during this winter has all said "no weeds". Can the author of the article explain their reason for addding weeds, please.

  • Dan 9/29/2008 2:44:25 AM

    How much percentage wise manure or green matter should be added so the heat will be high enough to kill weed seeds?

  • Ken 9/27/2008 12:12:04 PM

    I'm surprised that this article mentions adding weeds to the compost. I have read in other articles to not add weeds as their seeds can sprout in your garden.

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