Guide to Composting at Home

Composting is a natural way of generating nutrient-rich compost or humus from organic materials like leaves, grass, vegetable wastes, etc. When added to lawn or garden soil, the compost enriches its fertility and fuels the growth of plants. In the wild, decaying leaves, fruits, bark pieces, etc, naturally decompose and form a nutrient rich in nitrogen and carbon. This composition is ideal for growing healthy plants and trees.

You can buy compost for your soil from nurseries. But composting at home is easy, free and a convenient way to recycle kitchen and yard waste. Organic waste such as dead plants, straw, twigs, sawdust, fruit and vegetable wastes, etc. that could otherwise get dumped in a landfill are used for composting at home.

You can pile your organic waste matter in a pile in the corner of your garden or in a large bin placed outdoors. Dry leaves, dead plants, straw, twigs, clean sawdust and shredded paper are the major sources of carbon. Grass, weeds (without seeds), non-dairy and non-meat wastes from the kitchen like vegetable and fruit peels are rich sources of nitrogen. Start piling a mix of equal parts of carbon and nitrogen sources with sources of composting micro-organisms like cow-dung, soil or commercially available compost starters.

Every day for a few weeks, add organic wastes to the pile and periodically mix the materials to ensure that there is sufficient aeration for the micro-organisms to break down the wastes. Mixing also prevents bad odors from emanating from the compost pile. Add some water when you mix the compost pile if you find it dry. There must be enough moisture in the pile but it should not be soggy.

Over several weeks or months, the materials will turn into compost. It will feel warm to touch from the energy released in the composting process. When you do not see the materials in their original form, the compost is ready to be mixed with soil.

Remember not to add fish and meat scraps to your compost as they will attract insects and pests. Maintain a good balance of the nitrogen and carbon sources in the compost. Do not have an excess of either ingredient. Chop or shred the organic wastes before you add them to the compost pile to speed up the composting process.

Making compost at home is truly a green way to use your organic wastes in a responsible manner.