Books and Articles by Cathy Cromell

By composting food scraps, yard waste, and other ingredients, you create nutrient-rich compost to add to your garden and landscape, and you minimize the waste sent to landfills. Home composting is a great way to be greener and do something good for the environment while seeing major benefits right at home.The benefits of adding compost to your gardenComposting provides you with rich organic matter that does wonders to improve the quality of your garden soil.

Two broad categories of microorganisms consume and decompose organic matter: those that need air (aerobic) and those that don't (anaerobic). Most folks who compost rely on aerobic, aboveground decomposition. It's the simplest method to start with because all that's required is a pile of organic matter. Aerobic composting Aerobic composting is the principle at work in aboveground composting environments — whether it takes place in a freestanding pile or in a container that provides air circulation, such as a bin with open sides or a tumbler with aeration holes.

Creating a freestanding pile is the easiest method to break into composting. Your freestanding pile must be at least 3 feet x 3 feet x 3 feet (1 cubic yard or 1 cubic meter) up to 5 cubic feet (1.5 cubic meters). This size offers enough mass for the organic matter to self-insulate and maintain moisture and warmth for the microorganisms consuming it.

Wood shipping pallets are a great option for creating highly effective composting systems, especially when you have a lot of organic matter to process. You can build a compost bin from wood pallets in a few easy steps. The whole process is described here, but first take a look at the pros and cons of using pallets to make your bins: Advantages: They're free and the perfect size!

If you build a basic compost pile, you'll have harvestable compost from the bottom and center of the pile in three to six months. To speed up the composting process, you have to invest a little more time and energy. This speedier method requires more upfront labor chopping or shredding the organic matter, as well as regular turning of the pile.

Greens provide bodybuilding proteins for the microorganisms crunching through your organic matter. Nitrogen-rich materials are called greens because most of them are greenish in color. The following are good sources of nitrogen for your compost pile: Kitchen scraps: Leftovers from the kitchen are excellent additions to the compost pile.

Composting isn't a free-for-all. You can't toss in anything and everything you come across waste-wise and expect it to produce usable, healthy compost. Some materials definitely don't qualify as compost ingredients because they contain pathogens, attract pests, or cause other problems. Save yourself hassles and headaches by keeping the following items out of your composting operation: Meat, bones, grease, fats, oils, and dairy products: They turn rancid and smelly and attract dogs, cats, raccoons, foxes, and rodents.

One inexpensive option for making your own compost container is to use a large, recycled garbage can. Contact the department responsible for trash pickup (it may be called solid waste disposal) in your area, whether it be a town, city, county, or other office. Many communities recycle their no-longer-useable garbage cans as compost containers to residents, either free or for a nominal fee.

If you've gone through the effort of making rich compost of your own, you can use it to top-dress your lawn for thicker, healthier grass. You can use compost to top-dress both new and existing lawns. On a seeded lawn: After sowing lawn grass seeds, apply a thin layer — about 1/4-inch — of compost as top-dressing to help maintain consistent soil moisture while seeds germinate and tender grass seedlings get established.