You may already be doing this as a way to cut down on your kitchen garbage. But if you don’t already have a compost bin or pile going, you’re going to want to start.
Quick List of Compostable Items
There is more to compost than just grass clippings and apple cores. These are the kinds of things you want to add to your compost as often as you can:
• All fruit and vegetable scraps (peels, leaves, seeds, cores, etc.)
• Stale bread and crusts
• Leftover pasta (cooked or not)
• Coffee grounds
• Egg shells
• Used tea bags (as long as they’re not the silk kind)
• Yard waste
• Occasional used paper towels or tissue
Leave out: meat scraps, oily or greasy foods, anything toxic or non-degradable.
Get Composting: Once you start collecting your organic materials, you’ll need a place to put them. The easiest approach is to just set a spot aside and start piling. It may not look great but it’s easy, and does allow better access for turning and harvesting your finished fertilizer. You do run the risk of animals rooting around through your scraps though. A large bin (like a big garbage can, or larger) should have a lid and several holes to allow for aeration. Your compost will dry out faster this way, compared to the pile. It’s up to you which approach to take.
Dump your scraps and material as you accumulate it. A mix of “dry” stuff like grass clippings or shredded newspaper need to be balanced by “wet” stuff like kitchen food scraps. Too much of either and it won’t turn into compost. During hot weather, add some water to keep it all moist. Insects, worms and fungus need a damp environment to do their work.
Periodically, give it a stir or a turn-over with a shovel. After about a season, there should be a deep black layer of crumbly compost at the bottom of your bin. It’s ready to be mixed in with your garden soil at this point.