A beginner’s guide to compost

Gardening is a main component of sustainable living. Growing your own food gives gardeners and farmers the freedom to seed new crops, try new varieties, preserve harvests, and so much more. Composting is one of the most effective ways to increase garden production and support a homestead, but it can feel overwhelming to beginners.

YouTube videos about compost regularly feature gardeners debating the finer points of nitrogenous versus carbon-rich materials, and plenty of folks have spent countless hours online defending ideas about what can or can’t be tossed onto the compost pile.

While yes, the science behind creating dirt is important and fascinating, the basics are pretty simple. Composting doesn’t have to be complicated, and even urban gardeners have options — our beginner’s guide will support even the newest compost enthusiasts!

What is compost?

According to the National Resource Defense Council, composting is the natural process of turning organic matter like leaves and food scraps into valuable fertilizers that can nourish plants and crops.

In short, composting is the process of creating dirt that can be used in a garden or farm. Compost can be placed in raised garden beds, tilled and no-till garden plots, individual plant pots and anywhere else you need to sow a seed or seedling.

Compost is primarily made of two materials: nitrogen-rich or carbon-rich organic matter. A Cornell University article about composting says carbon, an element found in every living thing, is both an energy source and a basic building block of microbial cells. Nitrogen is a crucial component of cell growth and function.

Although there are exceptions to the rule, carbon-rich organic material is often brown, like leaves, cardboard, twigs, or dead plant material. Composting articles will often just call carbon-rich materials “a brown” item. Nitrogen-rich material is often green, like grass clippings, food scraps, and other kinds of yard waste, which is why many compost guides refer to “green versus brown” items.

Why is compost helpful?

Compost is incredibly beneficial to both a garden and its surrounding environment. The practice, according to the NRDC, cuts methane gas from the atmosphere. Reducing the amount of biogas we emit by reducing what’s thrown into landfills can actually help slow climate change.

“Because our solid waste infrastructure was designed around landfilling, only about six percent of food waste gets composted,” according to the EPA.

In addition, composting reduces erosion and improves soil health.

Compost also delivers valuable nutrients and minerals to the soil. A compost equipment company (which would, admittedly, have a biased reason for running this study) previously stated that one Midwestern farmer who used compost in his crops saw a six to eight percent increase in his soybean yields, a 10 percent increase in corn yields, a 12 to 14 percent increase in alfalfa yield, a 20 percent increase in oat grain, and a 30 percent increase in oat straw production.

How can I make compost if I live in an urban area?

Don’t worry, apartment dwellers! Some cities — like Nashville, TN for example — have municipal compost programs residents can participate in. Nashvillians can leave food scraps, paper items, and other select compostable bits at drop-off locations in the city. The city also sells compost bins.

Bix box stores like Target offer small compost bins buyers can fill up with kitchen waste. We recommend staying away from new-fangled, expensive composting machines unless you just have the extra cash to spare, though.

How can I start composting if I live in a rural area?

For readers with access to large outdoor spaces, a simple pile of food scraps and collected compostable items is the most basic way to get started. While a regular pile will need to be turned over more often to receive more oxygen, it will eventually turn into a usable planting medium.

Other easy options include using wooden pallets wired together to make simple, four-sided bins that stand at least a couple of feet tall depending on the pallet size. These can be filled with all the grass clippings, shredded newspaper, potato peels, and leftover Amazon box cardboard your heart desires. The slats on the side add at least a small amount of oxygenation, which speeds decomposition.

Remember the biogas mentioned above, which is emitted from landfills? That’s largely because of a lack of oxygen deep in garbage-packed dumps. Turning compost with a pitchfork keeps it fluffy and full of fresh air, which prevents biogas and keeps your pile from becoming slimy and stinky.

What else should I know about compost?

Compost piles are like miniature ecosystems, creating conditions that attract life. Healthy outdoor piles often become host to worms, fungi, insects, and even mice. That’s a good thing! In fact, some gardeners practice composting exclusively with worms and mushrooms, processes we can cover more in the future.

In fact, compost piles that get turned and aerated in the winter will often billow steam from the inside, since the decomposition process creates heat that bulbs inside the pile — even if it has a thin layer of ice on top!

Compost is a true resource that takes time to develop, but is completely worth the effort. Starting today will prepare you, your garden, and your family for a more sustainable future.