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Home composting may bring to mind a bin or a backyard pile where kitchen scraps and dried leaves are converted to valuable soil over time — and it’s easier than you might think! Plus, there are many options to suit everyone’s needs and lifestyles.
What is composting?
Composting is the process of breaking down organic matter into humus, the wonderful, soil-like, earthy smelling, dark brown material that is considered one of the best soil amendments for plants. It is worth noting that the quality of the soil where food and plants are grown directly impacts the nutritional value of the food we consume.
Home composting is not only low cost and environmentally friendly but also a fun and interesting way to create your own inexpensive humus. It doesn’t take a lot to improve the soil, and finished compost can just be sprinkled on top of or gently worked into the garden for great results.
Here is some information and resources for the newbie home backyard composter.
Why composting
There is something quite wonderful about being a part of the natural cycle of life where plants are harvested, enjoyed and consumed, and then the unused portions are returned to the soil to nourish the next crop of delicious homegrown tomatoes and beautiful flowers.
There are additional compelling reasons to compost at home, including the desire to help reduce the food waste filling up our landfills. The U.S. Environmental Protective Agency (EPA) estimates that up to 30% of what we collectively throw away in our trash cans could be composted. Not only would home composting reduce the need for landfill space, but it would recycle the more than $165 billion per year worth of uneaten, wasted food nationwide. An equally compelling reason to compost for many is the desire to gain control over their own food supply and the soil that nourishes what they consume.
Adding compost to your garden will improve the texture and aeration of the soil. It improves drainage and nutrient availability in clay soils while preventing water loss and nutrient leaching in sandy soils. Compost applied to any garden will improve the soil, and while it’s available for purchase from many retailers, the most cost effective and environmentally friendly way to improve the soil is to compost at home, saving both water (since good soil retains moisture, thus reducing the need for watering), and money (since compost is made from scraps and leaves).
Those who grow vegetables may already be familiar with the importance of maintaining the optimal pH of the soil, which measures the acidity from 0 (acidic) to 14 (alkaline); most plants find their happy place somewhere in the middle, around 6.5. The pH impacts a plant’s ability to absorb nutrients from the soil and can be measured with a store-bought soil tester, although for most accurate results, soil samples can be submitted to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Soil, Water and Forage Testing Laboratory. For more information, visit soiltesting.tamu.edu.
How to compost
Composting requires finding a place for food scraps and yard waste, and allowing them to decompose. Compost piles fall into two categories of materials, the so-called “browns” and “greens.” Microbes in the soil are the driving force behind the composting process, and when they get all the right food, water and enough oxygen, they will multiply and turn material into soil. Even without the right food, water or oxygen, microbes will eventually produce compost, just at a much slower rate.
Brown materials contain carbon and provide energy for the microbes. Green materials provide nitrogen, which helps to heat up the pile and speed up the composting process. In addition to the brown and green materials, microbes need air and moisture to thrive and multiply. These four ingredients — brown material, green material, water and oxygen — are needed for composting. How long it takes for the material to become compost depends on how much time and effort are put into building, watering, and turning the pile — but rest assured! Composting will take place with or without your diligence.
Brown materials
Examples of brown materials include dry leaves, aged hay, cardboard egg cartons, newspaper, chipped wood, dried grass, paper towels, shredded paper, coffee filters, sawdust, and pine needles, etc. Any chemical treatments or pesticides on the material added to the compost pile will be present in the finished compost, so be informed about the sources of the materials included in the compost pile if used for vegetable gardens. Most home composters find it easy and convenient to use dried leaves, which can be raked and stored in large trash bags until needed.
Green materials
Examples of green materials include vegetable scraps and peels, coffee grounds (ask your local coffee shop for theirs), tea leaves, house plants, spent flowers, alfalfa meal or hay, green plant clippings, bone meal, untreated hair, feathers, fresh grass clippings, and manure from herbivores (pet waste should be excluded). Anything from your grocery store’s produce section is suitable for the compost bin. This excludes dairy products, meats, oils, etc. Most home composters use their own food scraps and trimmings as well as that of their friends or neighbors for their green materials.
There is no right or wrong way to compost. How much time you dedicate to composting will determine how long it will take to complete the process. For the truly dedicated, there is hot composting. For the not-so-dedicated, there is cold composting.
Hot composting
If your aim is to create optimal composting conditions, then the ratio of greens to browns matters. When hot composting, materials have to be gathered in advance of building the pile. Ideally, the pile needs to be checked several days per week for temperature and moisture, and turned over at least once every two weeks. The ideal temperature inside the pile is between 135 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. A lot of material is needed to build the pile — roughly equal parts of browns and greens in sufficient quantities. Build a 4 foot by 4 foot by 4 foot pile by layering greens and browns in 6 to 8 inches, alternating in layers, roughly two parts brown to one part green. To help circulate air inside the pile, add twigs and sticks on the ground prior to adding your material. After each layer, moisten the material, since the microbes both need water to survive and move around the pile. Turning the pile may require some heavy lifting.
Cold composting
Cold composting is by far the easiest method and requires the least amount of time and effort. Simply find a place in the yard or invest in a compost bin for your kitchen scraps and leaves and such as they become available. A cold compost pile can be added to every day or whenever convenient. Over time, older material will break down into compost while new material will not, so one option is to use a sifter to sort out the finished compost. Material not yet broken down can just be added back into the compost pile. There’s no need to turn the pile over, measure the temperature, or be overly concerned with the moisture level or the precise mix of what goes into the pile and when. Because there won’t be the ideal mix of browns and greens in sufficient quantities, this type of compost pile will not heat up, hence the name “cold composting.” There are many ways to cold compost, including using a bin; digging a trench, then adding some material and covering it with a little dirt every day; or piling up the compost in the yard and covering it with soil to avoid attracting critters. Cold composting requires minimal time to maintain but can take up to six months to a year to compost completely. Since the heat during the composting process kills seeds, those who cold compost either keep seeds out of the compost pile or be prepared to do some extra weeding if seeds are redistributed in the garden. There is no need to prepare in advance by gathering and storing materials.
Regardless of which composting method is used, it matters where your compost pile is located. Keep it away from structures and fences, or it will rot the wood, and avoid garden areas where rainwater tends to pool. Rainwater is preferable to tap water to keep it moist, so place the bin where it can benefit from the rain.
Additional composting methods
Worm composting, or vermicomposting, is ideal for those without a yard as the bin is kept indoors. This method requires buying a specialized bin and worms for the purpose, but the castings produce excellent compost.
Another fun way to compost when space is limited is to layer kitchen waste with dirt in a large bin with a lid. Add water and occasionally stir the contents to incorporate air into the mixture; compost will result. To speed up the process, chop the kitchen scraps into small pieces — the smaller the pieces, the greater the surface area, and the faster the decomposition.
Tools of the composting trade
For cold composting, only a shovel is needed to turn the pile and move the finished compost to garden beds. For hot composting, you may invest in a bin, a sifter and a thermometer in addition to the shovel. A variety of bins are available in many shapes and sizes for all types of yards.
In summary
No matter which way you decide to compost, just remember: Mother Nature has been composting since the beginning of time and that most matter will compost eventually, no matter what you do or how you do it. Also, keep in mind that support is available right here in our community for when you have questions and want to learn more. Please reach out to The Brazos County Master Gardeners for research-based answers. Best of luck on your composting journey!
For more information, visit brazosmg.com or call 979-823-0129.
About the authors
Hege Kalaouze has been a resident of Aggieland since 1986 and has been a Master Gardener with AgriLife Extension in Brazos County since 2016. An avid home gardener with a special interest in composting, she periodically leads basic home composting training sessions in our community on behalf of the Brazos County Master Gardeners.
Maureen Reap has lived in Brazos County since 1986 and has been a Master Gardener with AgriLife Extension in Brazos County since 2015. She retired from Texas A&M University in 2016 after 30 years with the College of Geosciences.
Composting tips and tricks
- Add a few shovels of garden soil or compost to your new compost pile.
- Consider storing your kitchen scraps in the freezer until ready to compost.
- Collect bags of leaves from friends and neighbors for your next compost pile.
- Make your own sifter from ¼-inch chicken wire.
- Make your own compost pile from chicken wire, pallets, etc.
- The optimal size of a hot compost bin is 4 feet by 4 feet by 4 feet.
- Food and compost material will compost year-round, although it will compost faster in warmer weather.
