Backyard Composting Guide

When put into a pile these materials naturally decompose turning into a rich soil like material called compost or humus.

Backyard composting guide. You can make it at home from organic materials such as kitchen scraps and garden waste. Composting is the process where organic material such as kitchen and yard waste breaks down allowing rich nutrients to be returned to the soil. Add brown and green materials as they are collected making sure larger pieces are chopped or shredded. Here are some do s and don ts to consider for backyard composting success.

If you do not keep a consistent aeration schedule then turn the pile when the temperature peaks. Your guide to backyard composting. Guide for backyard composting turn peels into petals. Backyard composting tip sheet u s.

A guide for home gardeners penn state extension managing the three bin composting system university of california cooperative extension. Fill your backyard compost bin with a 6 inch layer of brown matter and a 2 to 3 inch layer of green matter. Your handy guide to mulch. 4 composting guide hint.

If you re consistently adding kitchen scraps to your compost. Begin by building your compost bin on well drained soil. Several myths about backyard composting have become so prevalent that it behooves us to start this section by getting those out of the way. Compost is a natural fertilizer and soil conditioner.

California integrated waste management board. Regular mixing or turning of the compost and some water will help maintain the compost. Select a dry shady spot near a water source for your compost pile or bin. That might sound a little nerdy but let s use an apple as an example.

I laid a layer of flagstone and gravel in my bin to aid with drainage. Some of the later instructions will probably use the term build and may even refer to layers so it s critical that everyone understand that build is quite metaphorical in the case of compost piles and that layers while sometimes convenient. A guide to backyard composting what is compost. To understand why compost is important you need to.

Department of agriculture small space composting guide cornell waste management institute home composting. Check out the following links for more information on composting at home or jumpstarting composting in your community. Zero waste lifestyle kathryn kellogg february 16 2016may 13 2020. Most backyard compost piles only reach 90 120.