Guide to Small Space Composting

Many believe that composting can only be done if you have a garden or if you live in a house with a yard. Most books make composting out to be something that is fairly complicated and that requires a lot of time and special tools. The truth is that composting can be extremely easy, and can be done nearly anywhere, whether you live in a house, apartment, or even a bus!

Why Compost?

Every year, we throw away millions of tons of uneaten food. This food contributes a great deal to landfills and the precious minerals and resources in that food are buried away forever and can never be reobtained. By composting, you can greatly reduce your environmental impact as well as produce valuable fertilizer for your yard and garden. Many compost as a source of income, so start composting today and make a profit while helping the environment.

What you will need:

- One large plastic bucket with a tight-fitting lid

- Second bucket with lid (optional but highly desired)

- A small glass, plastic, ceramic, or steel kitchen canister. Coffee cans and yogurt tubs also work well.

How to Begin:

You will definitely need one large plastic bucket with a tight-fitting lid. If you want to compost uninterrupted, get a second bucket to begin filling once the first gets full. Be sure that your buckets have never contained any toxic chemicals such as paints, glues, pesticides, or fertilizers. Because plastic is porous, these chemical residues will never come completely out and it will make your compost toxic.

Using a drill, very carefully make several tiny holes around the top sides of the bucket. Your compost will need some ventilation. Do not drill any holes in the bucket lid. After that, there is nothing else to it. Place your compost bucket outside on your porch or balcony, preferably out of direct sunlight, and you are ready to start filling it.

If your apartment does not have a balcony or outside porch area, you can still compost. Look for vermicomposting (composting with worms) kits online that you can store cleanly and neatly under your kitchen sink.

Having a compost canister in your kitchen makes transporting your compost outside much easier and less frequent. We use a pretty stainless steel canister in our kitchen, but you can use any simple container such as a large margarine tub or a coffee can. Just toss your kitchen scraps inside and dump it out when it gets full, then rinse it and use it again.

How to Compost:

Composting is very easy, just be sure to keep the lid over the top of your bucket to keep out rain. Finished compost looks like very rich black soil which is soft and spongy. To produce this "black gold," you will need to keep a balance of wet ingredients and dry ingredients.

Kitchen scraps are wet ingredients. They contain a large amount of water and when they break down, they will leave juice in the bottom of your compost bin. To prevent this, balance your wet ingredients with dry ingredients such as paper, cardboard, leaves, and dry grass. You will know just by looking if your compost needs more dry ingredients as it will appear wet or soupy.

Once a week, you should turn your compost. Snap the lid down tightly, lay the bucket on its side, and roll it back and forth several times to mix it well. Once your bucket is ¾ full, stop adding to it and let it sit for at least one month, preferably more, and make sure you continue to roll it once every week. This is the point when you will want another bucket to start on as you will not be able to add any more materials to the first bucket until the compost is finished.

It is okay if there are fruit flies and other little creepy-crawlies in your compost. They will help break down the plant matter into useable compost. Once the compost looks evenly broken down into soft black soil and there are no more things wriggling about in it, it is ready to be used.

Smelly Compost:

If your compost contains no animal products, then there should be no bad smell. Your compost bucket may smell like rotting vegetables, but only when you lift the lid to add more materials. Finished compost should not have a bad or rotten smell.

What to Put in Your Compost Bin:

- fruits and vegetables

- eggshells for added calcium

- vegetable-only table scraps

- torn up toilet tissue and paper towel rolls

- used paper towels

- shredded newspaper (black ink ONLY)

- any shredded paper with black-only inks

- cotton balls

- cereal and potato chip crumbs

- dry grass or leaves

- paper cups and plates with no plastic coating

- pure cotton cloth scraps

What Never to Put in Your Compost Bin:

- animal or blood products - these will putrefy and attract rats and other rodents. It will probably also make your neighbors a little irritable with you.

- Paper with colored inks - black inks are usually soy-based but colored inks contain chemicals which can be extremely toxic and can leech into food plants

- Human blood products

- Pet food - cat and dog foods contain animal products

- Tomato seeds - wash them down the sink instead

- Paper towels containing chemicals or household cleaners

- Non-biodegradable items such as plastic, metal, coated papers, Styrofoam, etc.

What to Do With Your Compost:

Now that you have your first batch of beautiful, rich compost, it's time to find a use for it. If you live in a house, you can add it to our yard or garden. Your houseplants will also enjoy a yearly application of vitamin-rich compost. If you cannot add any more soil to your houseplants, make a compost tea by soaking some compost in water for a few days and pouring it over your plants.

If you live in an apartment and have a small container garden, you can use your compost for growing fruits and vegetables. Compost should be mixed with soil and is not generally used straight.

If you do not have a garden, your compost is still valuable. Many farmers and gardeners would be willing to purchase your compost from you - sometimes at fairly high prices. A full bucket of compost should fetch you at the very least about $20. Sometimes a farmer at your local farmer's market will be willing to make a trade for your compost in exchange for fresh fruits and vegetables.

You can also be kind and give your compost away for free. Donate it to a local school or church with a gardening program. Post an ad at your local grocery store or garden store or you can place an ad on Freecycle.org and someone will be more than happy to come pick it up from you for free.