Don’t let the word composting scare you. If you know how to follow steps, you’ll be able to give your organic waste a second life — just like the pros — in no time! Composting has myriad benefits for the planet as well as your food crops by enriching soil quality. A happy and healthy urban farm thrives from nutrient-dense soil made possible through DIY composting. Making your own plant food means you won’t have to spend money on chemical fertilizers, too, making composting a win-win-win!
The science to a compost that yields amazing results has been tried and tested. Thanks to the internet, easy composting techniques are now readily available for you to try out for yourself, saving you both the guesswork and time. I’m here to narrow down the fundamental principles of urban composting for you, to spare you the long search. Keep reading for everything you need to know in order to produce amazing soil and other fertilizer to keep your plants and garden nourished and, of course, looking amazing.
What is compost? The key components
Compost is defined as a mix of decayed organic material used as plant fertilizer, and it’s something that virtually anyone can learn to make. Here are the core elements of compost, the special role of each component.
- Browns/Carbon (⅔) : Greens/Nitrogen (⅓). For your compost to perform well, the carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N ratio) must be scaled correctly, with more carbon than nitrogen. The exact ratio is about three parts carbon to one part nitrogen. To make up your ⅔s of carbon, you’ll want to source dry materials such as brown paper, eggshells, and dried leaves, broken down into as small pieces as possible. For the remaining ⅓ of your compost — the nitrogen portion — you’ll need organic matter such as food scraps and greens that will serve as the nutrients for your soil. Adding this keeps the odour to a minimum, allows oxygen in, and feeds the microbes.
- Oxygen. This gas is the secret to creating a compost where microorganisms thrive. It sets your urban composter up for success. Oxygen allows the bacteria inside your compost to breathe as it breaks down the organic matter into rich, fertile soil. To ensure your compost pile has enough oxygen, you’ll need to have the proper carbon ratio. To achieve this, turn over your compost or give it a thorough mixing once every three to seven days.
- Moisture. The microorganisms found inside of compost break down organic matter, resulting in richer soil. In order for them to work effectively, they need to be kept moist. The amount of moisture is crucial because not enough water or too much water can suffocate the microbes. A way to regulate your compost moisture is covering it from rain, and making sure there is sufficient drainage for the water.
- Temperature. Regulating temperature is not necessarily for your compost because the emission of heat is a byproduct of creating compost. This heat kills off harmful bacteria found in your organic matter, kills off seeds from weeds, and act as a form of natural sterilization. If the centre of your compost starts to lose its heat, it’s telling you that it’s time to turn over your compost. If you’re scientifically inclined, you can take your compost to the next level by using a compost thermometer.
🗑 What are the different types of compost?
- Compost pile. This variation is easy to make, requiring a nice pile of food scraps mixed with a carbon layer that likes to be turned over often.
- Compost box. More contained that a compost pile, this version is held together with food-grade material, allowing it to be stored in vertical, smaller spaces. Most compost bins purchased in stores are this type.
- Tumble compost. These barrel type structures are easy to turn over. It’s important to keep the carbon ratio with these high to feed the fast-turning microbes. While tumble composts are effective, they are quite small and so are great for an urban environment.
- Vermicompost. Yes, just adding worms to your compost makes it a more complete ecosystem! A true vermicompost uses a layering effect of stacking different sections of food waste on top of each other. As the worms eat the waste they climb up to the next level.
📐 What is a good size for my compost?
1 yd3 (or 3′ x 3′ x 3′) is a good size for your compost bin, but anything smaller than this may not generate enough heat in order to be efficient. While most store-bought bins are not this size, they will work fine. If it’s possible for you to create a larger one, I would highly recommend it. It’s important that your compost remains a size that enables you to stir around its contents with ease.
📍 Where do I set up my compost?
- In the shade. Too much sun exposure can dry out your compost, which means it will require more frequent watering. Keep it in a cool, shady spot to save yourself the hassle.
- Close to the house. You want your compost close enough to you so that you can add food scraps to it regularly. However, be mindful not to place it too close so that you attract unwanted bugs and critters into your home.
- On higher ground. When it’s time to bring your compost to your garden, it will be easier to carry downhill instead of uphill. Also, if you have run-off from rain, it is nice to have those nutrients travel to your garden.
- Near chicken. If you are lucky enough to own chickens, keeping your compost close to them as the poultry can help eat the insects that feed off your compost.
🔨 How do I build a compost bin?
The design above is a great example of an easy DIY compost bin. The above style is great because:
- The mesh allows air into the compost pile
- It has compartments for different stages of composting
- The boards on the front are removable to accomodate the compost pile as it grows
- It’s simple to build
Composting tips and tricks
🌳 Use a lawn mower before adding to your compost
To further breakdown your material before adding it into your compost, run a lawnmower over it. This will accelerate the process of the waste turning into nutrient-dense soil.
⚡️ Ways to speed up composting process
- Turn your compost. Turn it every few weeks or when you start to notice the middle of your compost losing heat. Less heat means that there is less organic matter to break down your material. You can leave a compost aerator in your pile and just give it a turn whenever you add food to your pile.
- Maintain the ratios. Remember to have both dry materials (carbon) and wet, organic materials (nitrogen).
- Keeping it moist. As stated at the start, your compost needs to be moist. This will allow the active bacteria to thrive.
⏱ How long does it take to get soil out of composting?
There is no real timeline on composting, but following all of the outlined steps and tricks above will help you speed up the process. On average, you’ll be looking at three to five months to turn your waste into amazing soil, but it’s not impossible for it to happen faster.
🪨 Add amenities to your compost
If you want to add extras to your soil, the best time to do it is during the composting period. Here is a list of essential minerals most soils lack, and ones you might consider adding to your compost:
- Rock dust. There are around 65 trace minerals in rock dust.
- Perlite. Found in most potting soils, perlite is a soft white glass composite that absorbs water and slowly releases it into the soil, providing space for aeration and preventing clumping in the soil.
- Worms! These creatures are truly amazing. If your compost is on the ground, worms will naturally find their way to your compost. If it’s above ground, then it will benefit your compost to add them.
Worms and composting: let’s get wiggly!
Worms are an invertebrate animal, whose flexibility make it the ideal creature to add to your composting pile. They help to speed the composting process up thanks to their nutrient-dense liquid waste, which your soil will thrive from.
🪱 What type of worms should I use for my compost?
The best types of worms for vermicomposting are red wigglers (Eisenia fetida) and red worms (Lumbricus rubellus). These two species make great worms for your bin because they prefer a compost environment to plain soil, and they are very easy to keep.
Worms that feed on vegetable waste, compost, and organic bedding produce richer casting than those that feed on plain soil. In a good compost, worms will reproduce quickly, but it is recommended to use around 1 lbs of worms to start.
🪱 How do I take care of my worms?
Be sure to feed your worms daily, with about 0.5 lbs of food scraps per pound of worms per day. If you take good care of them, you’ll have a steady supply of vermicompost for your garden. However, be sure that you are not overfeeding your worms, either. If you see black flies in your compost bin, that’s a sign you’re giving them too much food. If you find this, just feed them less and allow your worms to catch up.
Worms and vermicomposting bins don’t smell, so you can keep worms indoors year-round. It’s a great way to use up your kitchen scraps and the kids will enjoy helping out with the worm farm.
How do I make compost tea?
Simply put, compost tea is water in which compost has been steeped for 24-36 hours. You can do this by taking the worm castings found at the bottom of your compost and adding 5 gallons of water. Leave it to sit for a night or two. In the morning, you’ll have nutrient-dense water for your compost.
How do I keep pests out of my compost?
The best way to keep critters like mice and rats out of your compost is to avoid adding meats and other animal products into your compost. Turning your compost regularly also gives you a chance to spot and remove any critters before the problem gets bigger.
Ready-to-use compost products
Here are examples of some cool compost bins you can get. Click on the images and they will take you to the site where you can purchase them. They are also great inspiration for when you want to make your own!
🪟 Do I need to add a screen to my compost?
The extra step of adding a screen to your compost can be extremely beneficial if you’re not always sure what might be getting into your compost. You’d be putting your compost through your screen to filter out anything too large to breakdown. These materials can either be discarded or manually broken down and placed back in your compost.
Updated August 4, 2021. Originally published May 19, 2019.