Creating Your Own Homemade Compost: Indoor and Outdoor Methods

DIY Guide for Creating Indoor or Outdoor Compost

Composting is a simple yet effective way to recycle nutrients back into an ecosystem, and it's a practice that humans have been utilizing for thousands of years. This natural waste management process enriches soil with essential nutrients, boosts plant immunity, and reduces the need for chemical fertilizers in gardens and lawns.

Anyone can compost, whether it's in the backyard or under the kitchen sink. The four primary ingredients for compost are air, moisture, carbon (browns), and nitrogen (greens). Browns consist of plant-based materials like dead leaves, branches, twigs, newspaper, and unbleached brown napkins. Greens consist of materials like grass clippings, fruit and vegetable scraps, and coffee grounds.

For indoor composting, it's essential to have more browns than greens to help keep smells at bay. An indoor compost bin can be made using two rubber or plastic garbage cans. Drill holes in the smaller can, place a brick in the larger can with a layer of wood chips, sawdust, or soil around the brick, and put the smaller can inside the larger can on top of the brick.

Composting repurposes food that would otherwise go to waste, growing new plants that will feed you and others in the future. If you don't have a garden or yard, donate your compost to a local recycling center or farm.

Composting combats food waste by keeping it out of landfills and waterways. As the compost starts decomposing, grass clippings, more greens, and fruit and vegetable scraps should be added and buried under other decomposing material. A tarp can be laid across the top of the compost to keep in moisture.

It's important to maintain the right balance of browns and greens. If the initial materials added are dry, they should be moistened as you go by lightly spraying the mixture with water until it's damp, but not soaked. Larger sticks and newspaper should be chopped up before adding to the compost.

The compost area should be kept away from garden beds to prevent attracting pests. A compost pile or bin should ideally be placed in a dry, shady spot near a water source, about 3 feet wide by 3 feet tall. Compost bins can be purchased at retail stores or online and come in various styles to suit different spaces and needs.

The compost pile should be "fluffed" or turned with a pitchfork every time materials are added or at least once a week to promote aeration. Composting encourages the presence of beneficial bacteria and fungi that break down organic matter into soil.

For help with troubleshooting issues, check out guides from the Environmental Protection Agency and Natural Resources Defense Council. Bacteria, fungi, and insects in compost make the soil healthier and may improve the nutritional value of the food that grows in it.

Composting is not only beneficial for the environment but also for the health of soil, food, and the planet. If you're looking for a sustainable way to manage waste and enrich your garden, composting is an excellent choice.