How to Start a Composting Bin

With the ever-growing popularity of going green and becoming environmentally friendly, a compost bin is a good way to harvest your own rich natural soil and lessen your environmental footprint. Starting a compost bin is easy and rewarding.

A container or bin made of wood or plastic

Ground clippings or leaves

Kitchen waste

You need to design or build a receptacle large and strong enough to house your compost. You can use wood or a plastic trash can. The container needs to be at least three to four feet tall. You need to place it in the sun so that the compost can get hot enough for the bacteria and fungi to work.

Collect kitchen waste and ground clippings. Dead leaves and freshly-cut grass are the best ground clippings to use. Banana peels, orange rinds, coffee grounds, apple cores and any non-seasoned vegetables or fruits work best from the kitchen. Avoid using large seeds like avocado seeds or peach seeds and corn on the cob. They are extremely difficult to compost and you'll need to remove them when you use the compost.

Start with a layer of ground clippings of about two to three inches. Then add the same amount in kitchen waste. Also add a comparable amount of plain dirt or topsoil as well. Keeping the proportions equal is important to ensure that the decomposition occurs evenly.

Continue to add kitchen waste, ground clippings and soil. If the compost starts to look dry, you might need to add water. If it is too wet, you can add newspaper to absorb some of the moisture. Rip the newspaper into one inch strips and it will add to the compost.

To expedite the decomposing, you can stir the compost weekly. Mixing it up will allow the fungi, bacteria, and insects to act faster and it will aerate the middle of the compost. When you are ready to use the compost, avoid mixing it for a week or two. The bottom of the bin will be ready with rich soil for your garden.

You can buy compost accelerator at a nursery to help expedite the process as well. If the compost is working well sprouts of plants may start in your bin. You can harvest those and plant them if you wish.

If your compost starts to smell like vinegar you are using too much kitchen waste and not enough dead matter and dirt. Adjust the ratios to get the desired consistency.

Take the stickers off of your fruits and vegetables before composting them. The stickers do not decompose and will be all over your garden if you don't remove them.

Avoid using any meat, cheese or animal waste because they can attract vermin.