Creating compost is a great way to eliminate waste and live a sustainable lifestyle. It is practiced worldwide by both country and city folks. Follow this easy step-by-step guide to get to wasting less and creating nutrient-filled soil!
Step 1- Find A Suitable Place For Your Compost
This, I feel, is the most difficult part of composting; designating a good place to hold the compost. I have a few suggestions...
If you live an apartment and have access to a balcony, I would recommend purchasing a 50-gallon storage tub, any size is fine really. Just keep in mind how much you would like to compost, or how much food you waste. With it, be sure to purchase a lid. Color or shape does not matter what-so-ever, so pick your favorite!
If you do not live in an apartment and also have access to an outdoor space, this is ideal for creating compost. With this opportunity, you can either choose to have your compost in a bin, or have the compost held in a small wooden structure. Having a container with lots of airflow allows the food to decompose quickly, and helps eliminate the smell. For more in-depth tips check out this article Tips For Gardening (And Composting) In small Spaces.
Step 2- Find The Right Way To Hold Your Compost
Like I stated above, having a 50-gallon tote is a great option, or you can consider purchasing an actual compost holder (these can be found online). I highly recommend, however, if you have space to build a small support system, I highly recommend this! Watch this video to learn how to build a small support system. This 3-piece wood structure is super easy to build and can be made from scrap wood. Finding scrap wood is a great way to reuse old materials and save money!
Step 3- Add ingredients!
At this point, you can begin to add any leftover food you have. This would be considered "green" material. Click here to see a list of common food items that are compostable (there is a ton!) Next, be sure to add some "brown" organic materials. This means anything that is "not living" such as leaves, sticks, dirt, cardboard, decomposable takeaway containers, etc.
A compost pile should always be 2/3 brown material and 1/3 green material. This will ensure that the green material will actually break down instead of rot! It will also eliminate any smell that may occur. Click here for a great list of different "browns" and "greens". Don't forget that creating soil from compost takes a long time, at least several months. Be prepared to wait in order to use your compost as fertilizer. I highly recommend that every two months you stir or flip your compost pile, this will keep everything decomposing equally at the same rate.
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