We started composting in the bogarden about a month ago and because this is the first large compost I have worked on I've learned a lot! It is a really amazing process to watch yard and kitchen scraps turn into a beautiful pile of soil building compost (of which we are in dire need at the bogarden). Detritivores do most of the work, you just have to keep an eye on it. It also keeps costs low for gardening operations (don't have to buy soil which is usually shipped in) and it makes good use of materials that would otherwise go into the trash. So here are a few simple guidelines to help you start your own compost.
1.) Use a well aerated bin/ container that is easily accessible.
Compost needs lots of air! Because detritivores like bacteria, fungus, worms, and insects are all heterotrophic they need oxygen to break down the material. So the more oxygen the better and the more often you stir the compost, the faster the organic material will break down. If I could do it again, I would have used a large container on a that could be rolled easily to avoid excessive time spent mixing/aerating the compost. However, if you're working with low budget materials, all you really need is some wood to keep everything in a coherent pile. Thus, we used a few spare pieces of scavenged wood and a couple of shipping crates. To keep it aerated, I shovel the pile from one bin to the other at least once a week. This is more often than necessary, but our tomatoes are not growing well and they are in need of some nutrients, so I'm trying to break everything down pretty quickly. Using a rolling container like the one below will make it much easier to aerate the pile and they're fairly easy to make.
2.) Put 3 times as much brown matter into the compost as you put nutrient rich green matter.
Brown matter includes dry leaves, weeds, plants, sawdust, paper, straw, and hay. These materials are high in carbon relative to other nutrients and thus provide the base to which you add more nutrient rich material. Green materials include kitchen scraps (veggie, fruit, coffee, tea, fresh leaves {not walnut or eucalyptus} and grass). You should avoid meats and dairy because they are "too hot", as Seth Pritchard would say. Ideally you will reach a ratio of 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen and the pile should be extremely active with decay! Sometimes compost heaps get so hot from all the biological action they spontaneously combust! Once you achieve the right ratio, the more you aerate and water it, the hotter it will get. If it gets so hot that you cannot comfortably keep your hand in the middle of the pile, then you are "hot composting" which leads to quick decomposition but also the loss of nitrogen as gas from your pile (although i'm sure being elbow deep in rotting kitchen scraps is not a pleasant thought for some of you).
3.) Keep the pile relatively moist Moisture is another one of those essential elements for keeping your compost pile in ideal conditions to sustain a wide variety of decomposing organisms. You want it to have enough water that it will always be damp, but never so much that you squeeze out all the oxygen in the pile. Typically, I put five gallons of water on a pretty large pile about once a week (when I stir it).
4.) Try to use material with high surface area Before you put scraps in your compost, chop them up a bit to increase the surface area on which bacteria and other microorganisms can grow. A whole onion can take weeks to break down but if you chop it up (which i usually do with a shovel while i'm stirring) it will break down in days. I just hope i haven't cut too many worms in half in the process.
5.) Activate your compost by adding materials already rich in detritivores.To active our compost I added a little bit of compost from all seasons and then some worms from some folks that run a verme-composting business. Worms really seemed to make a huge difference! Also, you can use activating kits that are packages of billions of microorganisms waiting to eat your waste. A less material intensive method that a friend who went to school for permaculture told me was to put your pile in direct contact with the ground to allow for migration of organisms upward into your compost.
So that's pretty much what I've learned. It's so easy to do and only takes a small time investment. It also makes you feel much more connected with your soil, which determines how well your plants will thrive. So go get your hands dirty!
