How to Start Composting as a Sustainable Outdoor Hobby
One of the best things you can do for your garden is to give it healthy, nutrient-rich compost. It might not seem exciting to mix grass clippings, leaves, and food scraps, but this simple blend can do wonders for your soil and help your plants grow strong.
You can make your own compost at home for free or very little cost; whether you have a big backyard or just a small patio.
Let’s go over how to start composting, what to put in (and what to avoid), different composting methods, what materials you’ll need, and why composting is so beneficial.
Steps on How to Start Composting
Compost is just broken-down organic matter that helps plants grow. Instead of throwing away food scraps, leaves, and yard waste, you can turn them into rich, nutritious soil for your garden.
These are the steps on how to start composting;
1. Pick a Spot for Your Compost
First, decide where you want to set up your compost pile or bin. Choose an outdoor spot with some shade and good drainage. It should be easy to reach but away from pets and wildlife.
Your compost pile should be at least 3 feet (1 meter) wide and tall. This size helps it hold heat, which speeds up the breakdown process.
If you prefer, you can use a compost tumbler; a special container that makes mixing compost easier.
2. Start Adding Materials
Once you’ve set up your compost spot, it’s time to add materials. A good compost mix has two types of ingredients:
(i). Green Materials – food scraps, fresh grass clippings, and plant waste. These provide nitrogen.
(ii). Brown Materials – dried leaves, paper, straw, and small branches. These provide carbon.
For best results, layer green and brown materials. Start with a base layer of twigs (4–8 inches or 10–20 cm thick) to allow airflow.
Then, add alternating layers of green and brown materials, keeping everything slightly moist with water.
3. Turn the Compost Regularly
To help the compost break down faster, turn the pile every few days using a shovel or pitchfork. This mixes the materials and keeps air and moisture evenly spread.
How often you turn it depends on factors like moisture, pile size, and balance of materials. A good rule is to turn it every 4–7 days at first, then less often as it matures.
You can add some water, if the compost is dry. If it gets too wet, mix in more brown materials like dried leaves or paper.
4. Use Your Compost
Composting can take anywhere from a few weeks to a year, depending on the materials, moisture, and climate. You’ll know it’s ready when it looks dark, crumbly, and smells like fresh earth.
You can use your compost by:
(i). Mixing it into potting soil
(ii). Spreading it over your garden
(iii). Using it as mulch
(iv). Making compost tea; soak compost in water for 1–2 days, then strain and spray it on plants for extra nutrients
What are the Items You Can Compost?
Before you start composting, it’s good to know what you can and can’t add to your pile.
You can compost most fruit and vegetable scraps, including peels, rotten produce, and even trimmings from houseplants.
Things like coffee grounds, tea leaves, eggshells, and nutshells (except walnuts) break down well too. Paper products, such as shredded newspaper, cardboard, napkins, and paper towels, are also great additions.
Yard waste, including grass clippings, leaves, flowers, sawdust, and wood chips, helps create a balanced mix.
However, some things should also be also be avoided for your compost. Pet waste, meat, fish, dairy, and greasy foods can create bad smells and attract pests.
Walnuts and black walnut tree leaves release toxins that can harm plants. Charcoal, coal ash, and chemically treated lawn trimmings may contain harmful substances.
Large wood pieces take too long to break down, and baked goods can encourage unwanted pests. It’s also best to avoid composting diseased plants or anything with pesticides, as they can disrupt the composting process.
By adding the right materials and avoiding the wrong ones, you’ll create nutrient-rich compost that helps your garden thrive.
Different Methods of Composting
A basic composting system allows you to convert organic materials such as food scraps and yard waste and paper products into beneficial soil for plants.
The composting process both minimizes waste and benefits your garden growth. These are the four easy methods you can try at home:
1. Indoor Composting (Worm Composting)
You can practice indoor worm composting (Vermicomposting) even when you lack outdoor space for your compost.
Vermicomposting allows you to use small worm-filled containers which transform food waste into valuable compost nutrients.
2. Outdoor Composting
You can start composting through two main methods which include creating outdoor compost piles and using backyard bins.
You can mix food scraps with yard waste alongside paper pieces to produce rich nutritious soil.
3. Bokashi Composting
The fermentation process for food scraps occurs rapidly when you use specific microorganisms in Bokashi composting.
After fermentation the waste product becomes ready for underground burial in the soil or placement into a compost bin to achieve additional decomposition.
4. Trench Composting
By creating a hole in your garden bed you can directly place your food scraps into the soil for decomposition.
The waste materials decompose gradually to enhance soil quality which benefits your plant growth.
All composting methods work to minimize waste while simultaneously strengthening soil health while decreasing dependence on chemical fertilizers.
Required Materials Needed for Composting
These are the materials needed for composting;
1. A Compost Bin or Pile: They consist of;
(i). Wire Fencing – Allows for better airflow and keeps the pile contained. Any loose material can be raked back in.
(ii). Pallets – A sturdy option, but requires more effort to set up.
(iii). Free-Standing Pile – If you don’t have a bin or fencing, you can simply make a pile on the ground.
2. Carbon Materials (“Browns”): These help balance your compost and include things like wood chips, leaves, sawdust, cardboard, straw, and other dry, woody materials. If you’re short on browns, you can ask neighbors for leaves or get sawdust from a local woodshop.
3. Nitrogen Materials (“Greens”): These help speed up decomposition and include food scraps, grass clippings, animal manure, and freshly harvested plant material.
4. A Little Finished Compost: Adding some finished compost helps kickstart the process. You can buy it from a nursery or get some from another gardener.
5. Water: Your compost should stay damp, like a wrung-out sponge. A garden hose with a sprayer makes this easy.
6. Compost Thermometer: This helps you check if your compost is heating up properly and when it’s time to turn it.
7. Shovel: Useful for scooping and moving materials around.
8. Pitchfork: Great for turning the compost and breaking up clumps.
9. 5-Gallon Bucket (Optional): Useful for collecting and transporting compost materials.
With these simple tools and materials, you’ll be ready to start composting and create rich, healthy soil for your garden.
What are the Benefits of Composting?
These are the benefits of composting;
1. Less Trash, Less Pollution
Putting your food scraps including fruit peels and coffee grounds and eggshells into your compost bin stops them from ending up in landfills.
By composting we generate less waste which results in reduced harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
2. Healthier Soil for Stronger Plants
Soil receives two valuable benefits from compost; it gets enriched with nutrients and better able to retain moisture.
Soil containing compost provides plants with greater strength along with better health and increased ability to resist plant diseases and pests.
3. Saves You Money
You can save money on your gardening expenses by making your own fertilizer and soil additives from compost.
Garden expenses decrease while chemical product usage decreases when you implement composting.
4. A Fun and Educational Activity
Through composting you can both learn about sustainable practices and develop experience in environmentally friendly actions.
The process of waste transformation into useful items can bring value to every segment of society including educational institutions and community vegetable gardens together with family homes.
5. Helps Conserve Water
Soil that is in good condition retains greater water levels allowing farmers and gardeners to decrease their watering requirements.
The soil becomes better at holding moisture after adding compost so crops thrive better during periods of dryness.
The science of composting remains imprecise but this is perfectly acceptable. The practice provides an easy solution for waste reduction and environmental support.
Each composting experience produces different results naturally because it operates according to biological principles but you get valuable learning opportunities from that unpredictability.
Using compost enhances soil health while stimulating plant growth while also halting soil erosion and minimizing dependence on chemical fertilizers.
You don’t need specific backyard size or indoor space to start composting since anyone can practice it. So why not give it a try? You can begin composting easily while benefiting the planet.
