Composting of yard wastes such as leaves, grass clippings, dead garden plants and hedge trimmings, along with kitchen scraps, is popular with home gardeners who long ago discovered the benefits of the dark, rich, sweet-smelling, earthy end product called humus. This article will give you a better idea on how to compost.

How much time does it take to compost?

In about as much time as it takes to burn or bag yard debris for disposal, you can prepare these same materials for composting and use them as a soil conditioner. Home composers can use humus to lighten heavy, clay soils or enrich sandy soils to improve water-holding capacity. Plants grow well in well-drained soils that hold some moisture and the result should be a healthy, vigorous garden.

Heaping organic materials into a pile generates heat through the activity of the microorganisms. This heat encourages activity of other microorganisms, which speeds up the composting process. High temperatures also help destroy weed seeds and disease organisms. Frequent turning of the compost pile speeds up the decay process by providing a supply of oxygen.

Backyard composting is appropriate for all lifestyles, because it can be done on a small, medium or large scale, using the least amount of effort for your choice.

Soil incorporation is perhaps the easiest way to compost in the backyard, when space is limited and yard wastes are minimal. Kitchen scraps, minus meat, bones and fatty foods, can be incorporated directly into the garden. Bury scraps at least six to eight inches beneath the surface.

Mulching is another simple way of utilizing organic materials. Simply spread leaves, grass clippings or shredded woody wastes beneath ornamental plantings for initial use as mulch, and later, as they decompose, as a soil enrichment. Chippers or shredders can be rented or purchased and used to chip materials for these purposes or for informal garden paths.

Moisture and aeration are essential. Keep the pile damp but not soaking. This produces usable compost in six months to two years, depending on the mixture of materials. Occasional turning, shredding of materials and addition of high-nitrogen materials or fertilizer will speed the process.

Gardeners with large volumes of yard wastes may want to build a series of two or three turning units or bins. The compost can be turned and moved to an adjacent bin on a regular schedule. Bins can be built of wood, a combination of wood and wire, or concrete blocks. Begin the compost pile by alternating layers of organic materials. Monitor the moisture of the pile and check the pile temperature regularly. The pile will heat up to between 130 and 160 degrees in the middle, and the outside will be warm to the touch. During this period of intense activity, be sure the pile does not become dry. When the pile begins to cool, turn the pile into an adjacent bin with a shovel or manure fork. This mixes uncomposted material from the outer edges of the pile and the temperature should start rising again. After a few days, turn the pile into the finishing bin and start new layers of compost in the first bin. Through persistence and a little extra effort, you can have finished compost in a few weeks instead of a few months.

Remember, you can build simple wire bins, use wooden pallets, or build more complex turning units. Depending on your time commitment and quantity of materials, you can select the compost method that works best for you.

Household garbage can be easily composted by building a worm box in your basement or backyard. Prepare a 3' by 2' by 1' wooden box with a hinged cover (this size will accommodate the kitchen wastes from a family of four to five).

Use shredded cardboard, newspaper strips, animal manure, partially decomposed leaves or peat moss as a bedding material.

Add one to two pounds of red worms (can be purchased or obtained from manure piles). Bedding material helps the worms escape when compost gets too hot. Household garbage such as lettuce and cabbage leaves, carrot tops, potato peels, citrus rinds, coffee grounds, eggshells and moldy leftovers can be fed to the worms. Bury the garbage in the bedding and cover it with more bedding and let the worms go to work. Two pounds of worms can process a pound of garbage a day. Keep the bedding damp but not soaking. In several months you will have to move the vermicompost (worm castings, uneaten garbage, bedding) and worms to one side of the box. Begin placing fresh garbage and bedding on the other side and the worms will leave the finished compost, which can then be used as a potting soil supplement.

Neighborhood Composting

Community garden projects are ideal for apartment dwellers and homeowners with small backyards. Participants can get rid of kitchen wastes harvest remains and yard debris at the garden site. Kitchen wastes can be incorporated directly into the soil and neighbors can join together to develop active compost piles.

Uses of Finished Compost

Compost contains some nutrients, but its greatest benefit is in improving soil characteristics. If you've added fertilizer or manure during the composting process, however, you may find the compost is all you need to achieve good plant growth and production.

To use compost for lawns, screen the material and use a seed-starting material or as a top-dressing. When working the compost into the soil of flowerbeds or the vegetable garden, (before or after planting) apply at a depth of two-to-three inches. Compost can be mixed with topsoil for use with indoor potting plants. Sterilize by baking in a 200-degree oven for one hour.