Composting 101 For Beginners

A Simple Guide + Troubleshooting

I’ll be honest, composting has been something I wanted to do for a long time but was completely freaked out by. What if it stinks? How do I get it to turn into soil? What about pests? What do you mean ratios??!!

It put me off for the longest time. Then when I actually did get a bucket and start it, I just threw scraps in a bucket and dumped it directly into my garden. Couldn’t hurt, right?

I’ve never taken the time to learn, until now.  You and I are going to learn together!  I’m in no need of complex, confusing ratio crap.  I want the simple, “I’m a mom with lots going on and no time for fuss.” version. Feel me?

Composting Isn’t Hard

Wait, what?  Yup. It’s laughable!  Ever seen a farmer with a giant pile of manure? Composting. Somewhere along the way it got all science-y and complicated. Let’s bring it back to basics, shall we?

Whether it’s manure, food scraps, yard waste – you don’t need a cute, special bin to dump everything in. You can just dump it in a pile somewhere in your yard and it will eventually do its thing. Some folks even dig a hole in their garden, dump the scraps and waste in and let nature do it’s thing (dig deep and cover or “nature” will be wild animals!).

This “walk away” method is called static composting. In Canada, this method can take a long time, but it’s not labour intensive at all. So have at it if set it and forget it is your jam!

The “perfect conditions” speed up the process from scraps to nutrient dense black gold. This is dynamic or hot composting. It’s a little bit more hands-on but once you get the hang of dump-turn-go, you’ll be making gorgeous soil in a matter of months.

The key to making great compost is…

…keeping all of your soil microorganisms happy after you build a compost pile. Having a compost is kinda of like a relationship. Get prepared to get real close to your compost pile and make lots of mistakes until you figure out what it likes. Failure is the first attempt at learning after all!

Composting Ratios

Now, the best kick starter for your compost is a ‘compost starter’. This can be as simple as a couple shovelfuls of garden soil, or all the way to a professionally-created compost activator from a reputable source. I’m frugal and like to get projects started while I’m excited about them so garden soil it is!

More yard waste (brown stuff) to kitchen waste. About 3 to 1.

Yard waste (carbon):

• Leaves
• Dried grass clippings
• Branches + twigs
• Ash from #%!^$!
• Shredded newspaper (not coloured)
• Straw
• Shredded cardboard
• Sawdust

Kitchen Waste (nitrogen):

• Fruit and veggie peels
• Egg shells (crushed)
• Coffee grounds
• Manure
• Hair/fur
• Fresh grass clippings

What NOT to compost:

• Prepared food
• Meat
• Weeds (unless your compost gets REALLY hot to burn the seeds)
• Human or pet deces
• Pine needles
• Waxed cardboard
• Coloured newspeper
• Oak leaves
• Animal carcasses
• Dairy products
• Pesticide treated plants waste

The Perfect Composting Storm

Turn the pile every 1-2 weeks with a pitch fork or even a stick. Go send the kids, they’ll love it!

Check for dampness – if you squeeze it and it clumps together, perfect.  If it crumbles, add a sprinkling of water. If water drips out of your hand, add more yard waste and aerate it.

Now, if it’s dry, don’t worry – it’s still composting.  It will just compost reeeeeeally slowly.  But don’t go dousing it in water. That just makes it a slimey mess.

Composting Troubleshooting

It STINKS!

Congratulations! You have succeeded to another level of learning! Stinky compost means something’s off-balance.  It’s usually a lack of oxygen.

Now, you’re the expert on your compost bin so go ahead and decide which method you need.

– Add more yard waste to help soak up the additional moisture and aerate it. 
– If you have an enclosed compost, leave the lid open to help it dry out a bit and aerate.
– Aerate it more frequently – having some small sticks helps to create air pockets to prevent stink. 

Notice a theme? Aerate more! Easy!

It’s not doing anything!

– Stop aerating it – the pile might not be getting hot enough to compost.

What to Use as a Composting Bin

A simple, push pedal garbage can from Superstore is what we use. It has a removeable pail, you don’t need to use your hands, it fits under the sink, and it’s big enough I’m not having it empty it before I’m finished making a meal.

We’ve upgraded our outside bin from just dumping it directly into a spot in the garden (5+ years), to this beauty DIY Compost Bin *post coming soon.

I don’t recommend it being far from your home because, let’s be honest, will we really compost if we have to walk a mile, or 40ft to the bin?

Don’t complicate it! Start easy and go from there. Otherwise you know you’ll get sidetracked and never get it done. Bucket, lid, dump, stir, repeat.

Red Wrigglers

Earth worms are a must in a compost pile. If you’ve ever sat and watched one after your kid caught it, you’ll see that the inside of their body is black and they literally poop soil! It’s so cool to see the composting process at work through them!

What About Winter?

Great question! Definitely one I had myself.

The compost will freeze in winter but that’s ok. Come spring it will do it’s composting thing. When it’s frozen it shouldn’t attract animals but if you’re concerned, make sure where you’re dumping is animal-proof.

The Power of One

Did you know that composting at home can be used as a tool for personal empowerment?

It can!

Did you know that your decision to compost at home has the power to change the world?

It does!

Now, before you roll your eyes and call me crazy, just listen.

Composting at home has absolutely everything to do with empowering yourself, and changing the world around you.

Where it All Starts

It’s starts with an intense emotion of discomfort. Whether it be anger, frustration, fear, etc.

Our journey started in part, by watching the film, Food Inc. My husband and I loved it and it spurred on great conversation and action, but there was a point in time (ok, several), where learning more about the industries and how they pull the wool over our eyes became depressing.

I felt like we were fighting an uphill battle by trying to make and grow our own food. I love the idea of it and the flavor is so much better, but there are so many mega-corporations that we’re up against. They’re taking over our food supply! How can we ever compete against them? There’s Monsanto, Cargill, ConAgra, Kraft, and Tyson…

It got me really depressed, and rightly so.

How could one person take on these mega-corporations? And yes, they DO play a major part of our current food system.

So what helped me get out of that pit and continue my way forward?

Simple. Changing my focus. Why? Because I was caught up in “the big picture”. My mind was all about the mega-corporations and global food system. I forgot to see my potential, my “power of one“.

I focused back on what I could achieve in MY world. What I wanted to achieve for MY family.

The Ripple Effect

I kept learning what I could do at home to make our lives better. It’s since led me to sharing what I do with others, created a large community of natural remedy empowered mamas, and led to the creation of this website to share the skills and how-to’s with everyone else. 

The power of one is HUGE! You have ripple effect, you have a VOICE.  Focus on YOUR world and you will naturally begin to share what you learn and how you do it. And you will begin to change the world’s of others.

Composting is a simple step you can take to change the way you live your life. Or choose something else to change! This blog is full of many, many ideas and steps you can take, just like I have.

Go ahead, start that compost pile and be one empowered self-sufficient woman!