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Greens provide nitrogen, and act as a source of protein for the microbes that are hard at work in your compost pile.

Green leaves

Coffee grounds

Tea bags

Plant trimmings

Raw fruit and vegetable scraps

Fresh grass clippings

Hair

As living things, the microbes in your compost pile need water and air to work and live. Water allows microbes to grow and travel around in the pile to decompose materials. Turning your pile each week with a spade or pitchfork will provide air to aid decomposition and control odors.

Want to get started? Let's break it down!

Getting your own compost bin started can be boiled down to three simple steps: Make a compost bin or buy one, throw in your kitchen scraps and yard waste, and mix it up with a shovel or pitchfork once in a while.

1. Begin with the bin

Location, location, location. Pick a spot in your yard that's at least partially shaded and at least 2 feet from a structure like your house or a fence. Other considerations:

Convenient for you to add materials

Access to water

Good drainage

Containers. You can compost in a simple pile, but using a container or bin helps your compost pile retain heat and moisture and look neat. To get started, it's easy to go with a single bin system. As materials are added and mixed together, the finished compost settles to the bottom of the bin.

Materials. Bins can be built from scrap lumber, old pallets, snow fence, chicken wire, or concrete blocks. Typically, several types of composting bins are sold at hardware or lawn and garden stores.

Size. A pile that is 1 cubic yard (3 feet high, 3 feet wide, 3 feet long) is big enough to retain heat and moisture, but small enough be easily turned. Home compost piles shouldn't be larger than 5' x 5' x 5'.

2. Add the first materials

If you're just starting a compost pile, you can measure out greens and browns to create a good mix of materials — for example, an equal mixture of brown autumn leaves and fresh grass clippings will give you an optimal composting combination. But new composters shouldn't worry about getting the right mix; it's very easy to add new materials that will adjust the pile's performance.

Lay a base. Start with a layer of browns, laying down 4-6 inches of twigs or other coarse carbons on the bottom of the pile for good air circulation.

Alternate greens and browns. Add layers of nitrogen and carbon materials. Make layers about 4-6 inches thick. Once you turn the pile the first time, these materials will get mixed together and compost more efficiently.

Size does matter. Most materials will decompose faster if they are broken or chopped into smaller pieces, as it makes more surface area available to your composters and water.

Water as you go. Your compost pile should be moist, kind of like a wrung-out sponge. Squeeze a handful of compost; if small beads of water appear between your fingers, you have enough water. Your pile will get water from rain, as well as the moisture in the greens — for example, fresh grass clippings are nearly 80% water by weight. If the pile gets too wet, you can turn it more frequently to dry it, or add more dry brown materials to soak up the excess moisture.

3. Mix up the pile: As the compost turns

Once you build your pile, the real composters get to work — bacteria, fungi and insects help break down the materials in your compost bin. As the organic materials decompose, your pile will get hot on the inside and you might see some steam. In about a week, your compost will be ready for turning.

Use a pitchfork or shovel to mix up the layers of green and brown and move materials toward the center of the pile. You can empty your bin and re-layer, or just work materials around inside the bin. Break up clumps of material and wet the pile as needed.

Repeat until it's complete. The composting process can be pretty quick in the summer months. Your compost pile may no longer heat up after just a few weeks. Look in your pile for finished compost — material that is dark and crumbly, fresh-smelling, and no longer looks like what you originally put into your bin.

Using finished compost

Your compost can really pay off in the yard or garden. While compost is not a fertilizer, it can contain nutrients that improve plant growth. By using compost, you can improve the soil and reduce your use of fertilizer and water.

You'll learn why gardeners call compost "black gold."

Mix in compost to improve soil. In sandy soils, compost acts like a sponge, retaining water and nutrients where where plant roots can reach it. In clay soils, compost makes the ground more porous, creating tiny holes and passageways that help soil drain more quickly.

Spread compost on your lawn to help fill in low spots.

Use as a mulch for landscaping and garden plants. Mulches cover the soil around plants, protecting the soil from erosion and the drying effects of wind and sun.

Mix compost into pots for potted plants.

Common problems and solutions

Home composting isn't very complicated, but the typical composter will likely run into one or more of these common challenges.

The pile doesn't heat up.

If the pile is new, you may need to add more "green" to your pile. No heat could also signal a need to wet the pile.

If your pile is old, and you've turned it a few times, you may already have finished compost.

There's an odor of ammonia.

If the pile is too wet, turn the pile with a shovel or pitchfork to let in air and mix it up.

Add "brown" to your compost pile. Ammonia odors often indicate too much "green."

The pile is attracting scavengers like raccoons and mice.

Exclude food wastes with oils, meats or dairy; odors from these can attract pests. Keep other food wastes covered and in the middle of the pile. Covering the bin might also help.

Links to resources

There are a lot of online resources that you can access for more information.

Online tutorials

Backyard Magic: The Composting Handbook

Composting and Mulching: A guide to managing organic yard wastes

www.mastercomposter.com

The Virtual Composter