By Kris Wetherbee | March 2008

• Introduction
• Ingredients to success
• Building a pile
• Turning garbage to gold
• Download the FULL article as a

Building a pile

You’ll save time and energy if you locate the pile close to your major source of organic material or where you’ll be using the compost. Make sure the area is somewhat level, well-drained and easily accessible.

The method for cultivating compost is the same whether it’s created in ready-made bins purchased from a gardening center or in bins you make yourself.

Always build your pile, or add ingredients, in alternating layers of three parts carbon material (brown) to one part nitrogen (green), with a thin layer of soil in between each addition.

Whenever you start a new pile, use a coarse material like branches or twigs to start the bottom layer. Add layers until your bin is almost full, then top it off with a 4- to 6-inch layer of carbon (brown) material.

It helps to break, cut, chop or shred anything that is large or easily mats: tree branches, corn stalks, watermelon rinds, leaves, etc.

A container or enclosure of some type will help define your composting area and keep materials from being scattered. A homemade bin should be at least 3 feet wide by 3 feet high by 3 feet deep. A three-sided bin can be made from a variety of materials, such as straw bales, cinder blocks, old pallets or flexible wire panels.

Compost tumblers provide clean and odor-free composting in a drum-shaped container that you either crank, turn or roll to aerate the pile. Bins are available at garden centers and home improvement stores. For first-class tumbling that is easy to load up and turn, Gardener’s Supply Co. (www.gardeners.com) offers a Tumbling Compost Mixer. Find more tumblers and bins at www.composters.com.