Backyard Composting
Composting, nature's way to recycle, can be
practiced in your backyard, at work or school, and even indoors if you live in
an apartment? All you need to get started is a little bit of space, a bin, and a
basic understanding of the composting process. It's that simple!
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| Compost critters are the organisms that work hard to break down
organic matter into compost. Compost critters are worms, bugs,
fungi, bacteria, and other microorganisms. |
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- Food — Fruit and vegetable scraps and anything growing in
your yard is potential food for compost critters.
(see chart below)
- Air — Since all life needs a certain amount of air to
survive, stir or turn your pile with a pitchfork regularly to
keep air in the pile for compost critters and to keep your pile
odor-free.
- Temperature — The hotter the pile, the faster the
composting. Your pile will heat up to approximately 90° – 140°F
and cool down as it is composting.
- Water — The compost critters work best if the pile is damp
as a wrung-out sponge. In our dry climate, it means watering the
pile with a hose and turning it to even out the moisture.
- Particle Size — Chop materials into one to two inch pieces
for faster composting, so compost critters have more surface
area to attack.
- Volume — Build your pile to the ideal size of 3´ x 3´ x 3´
(27 cu. ft.) Smaller piles will have trouble holding the heat,
and piles larger than 5´ x 5´ x 5´ (125 cu. ft.) can collapse on
themselves, cutting off the air to the compost critters at the
center. These proportions are of importance only if your goal is
fast composting. Slower composting requires no exact
proportions.
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There are many different systems and bins that will work for
composting. You just need to find the one that works best for
you. Options include: an open pile, a bin that you build
yourself, or a bin that you buy. Whatever you choose, put your
compost pile (if possible): |
1) In a shady area to help keep it from drying out
2) Directly on the soil or grass, so compost critters have
access to your pile
3) Near the kitchen and garden hose, so you have easy access
for adding food waste, watering and turning |
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A successful compost pile provides food for the compost
critters (worms, bugs, fungi, bacteria, and other
microorganisms) to break down. This food must be a balance of
“green” (often wet) and “brown” (often dry materials). See chart
below.
Start your pile by adding a 4-6” layer of greens, then add a
4-6” layer of browns. Add water and mix. Continue to alternate
layers of green and brown materials, followed by watering and
mixing the pile. Keep the pile moist as a wrung out sponge.
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Browns (Carbon-rich)
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- Fresh grass clippings
- Garden trimmings
- Fruit and vegetable scraps
- Eggshells
- Coffee grounds & filters
- Tea bags
- Manure (plant eaters only)
|
- Dry leaves
- Dried grass clippings
- Hay or straw
- Sawdust
- Shredded paper
- Finely chopped wood chips & bark
- Old potting soil
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Do NOT include
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- Meat, fish, poultry & bones
- Dairy products, oils, grease &
fat
- Weeds with seeds
- Cat and dog waste
- Charcoal or Duraflame® ashes
- Treated wood products
- Cat litter
|
If in doubt, leave it out!
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What if...
|
Possible Cause
|
Suggested Remedy
|
Pile not composting
|
Too
dry |
Add water until slightly damp and turn |
| Too
much brown matter |
Add fresh green matter (see chart above) and turn pile |
|
Pile smells rotten and/or attracts flies |
Too wet and/or too
many food scraps or lawn clippings |
Torn and add brown material (see chart above), particle
size of 1-2 inches will keep pile from matting down |
| Not enough air |
Turn it |
|
Animals in pile |
Not maintaining or
turning pile |
Bury food wastes and keep pile maintained and turned |
|
The compost is damp and warm in the middle, but nowhere
else |
Pile
too small |
Collect more material and mix the old ingredients into
the new pile |
|
The center of the pile is dry |
Not enough water |
Moisten materials while turning the pile |
|
Nothing is happening |
Pile won't heat up |
May need moisture and more greens such as coffee grounds
to kick-start the process again |
| Compost is ready when it is dark brown and crumbly, and when
ingredients are not recognizable. Compost provides a long-term
source of many nutrients not typically found in Colorado’s soils
and helps your soil hold water longer. You can use compost in
two stages: |
 |
1) Finished
• use as a soil amendment in gardens (anytime)
• use as an ingredient for
potting soil
• place around plants, trees, or on lawns as a mulch or
top-dressing
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2) Partially finished (all particles are not completely broken
down)
• place around plants, trees, or on lawns as a mulch or
top-dressing
• spread compost in your garden in the fall so it will enrich
the soil over the winter to help your spring planting
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