Composting Tips


Maybe you want to start a composting heap, but you are not sure that you know enough to do it correctly. There are so many composting tips and tricks of the trade that it is hard to know them all without a good deal of personal experience. Still, there are a multitude of composting tips that can help you get started.

A Good Combination

You need a combination of materials that include both nitrogen and carbon to make a compost heap work. This is one of the best composting tips. An example of nitrogen materials would be extraneous grass clippings while carbon materials tend to be the brown ones that traditionally go into a compost heap. If all you have is grass then it will not turn out too well.

Tear It Up

The next of the composting tips is to always tear up or even shred newspaper and other paper before including it in your compost heap. This will make the composting process go much faster than it would be if you left it in large pieces.

Unwanted Guests

Fats, animal products, and animal manure are not good additions to your compost pile. They will draw the attention of pests to your compost pile. This is the last thing you want.

Cut In Half

When you are done composting, your product will be about half of the volume of the materials that you started with. This is normal. The finished product will be much denser though. It should look very much like soil, and it should not possess any identifiable, distinct materials.

Let The Light Shine

Leaving your composting heap in a place where it will be exposed to direct sunlight will accelerate the composting process.

No Chemicals

Plants that have been exposed to chemicals such as pesticides should not be a part of your compost heap. These chemicals can be spread when you try to put the compost to use later.

The Right Temperature

Another of the best composting tips is that it happens fastest at a temperature between about 120 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit. A lower temperature may eventually accomplish the same task, but it will be a much longer process.

Another Use Of Straw

Straw can supply part of the carbon element of your compost heap. Using the right amount can help you balance the greens and browns in your compost pile.

These composting tips can help you get your composting pile working. There are a million little tricks of the trade, but these composting tips should be enough to get you started. The rest can be chalked up to experience.