Composting is an excellent way to recycle food, improve your garden, and save money on fertilizer. But not many people make the leap into saving their food scraps and plant trimmings from the trash.

Worms in my compost bin. Believe it or not, this is not an indoor vermicomposter but a regular outdoor compost pile. A healthy compost pile is full of these little decomposers, hard at work.

Besides time and space concerns, the number one thing most people balk at in starting their own pile is the smell. No one wants their backyard reeking of rotten eggs or manure (I know I don’t). But the reality is that properly built and tended compost doesn’t smell bad at all—if anything it will smell like ordinary dirt.

Whether you have a big yard, a small patio, or even just a little storage space, there are several ways you can get started with composting at home or in your community.

Finished Compost from our compost bin, ready to go on the gardens.

Composting Methods

While there is certainly more to making your own compost than just chucking old food in a heap, each of the 5 methods discussed here can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be. Just remember to use the right composting matter for each method and you’ll find your piles to be pretty forgiving.

Additionally, there are dozens of resources available online to help guide you. The EPA’s composting webpage is a great place to start and many cities and states have local programs available to teach and encourage composting in their area.

There are six methods of composting listed below:

Composting Methods

• Backyard composting
• Countertop composting
• Vermicomposting (worm based)
• Bokashi composting
• Compost Tea
• In-Ground composting

Unloading finished compost from the back of our truck. We make a lot of compost each year, but it’s still not quite enough for our gardens. We purchase a few yards each year to keep our huge gardens fertilized.

Backyard Composting

Heaps of kitchen scraps and old leaves are often what comes to mind when people think of composting in general. And while you can certainly go that route, you can also create smaller piles that can fit into a bucket.

Materials

Put simply, you only need 3 things to get set up with a backyard compost pile: something to contain your compost, something to aerate your compost, and something to sift your compost.

Most people refer to their compost containers as “bins.” This doesn’t mean a literal storage bin (though it can). To create your bin, you can recycle old pallets, stack hay bales around your compost, put up a chicken wire fence, or use a garbage can. The key to remember is that compost needs oxygen—so don’t choose something airtight!

To aerate your compost, you need to be able to mix your pile every few days. A classic pitchfork will work perfectly for this, or a sturdy stick. Composting tumblers are also a great option and you can make your own if you don’t want to buy one.

You also can make your own compost sifter if you’re so inclined, but commercial options can be found at most gardening stores.

Compost thermometers are available to help you check if your compost is heating up enough. They aren’t required for composting, but they can offer some peace of mind if you’re just getting started.

Location

Pick a spot in your yard with good drainage. Avoid starting your compost up against your fence or anywhere it’d be difficult to access regularly. Having a watering source nearby is a plus!

Our homemade three bin composter.

What to compost

Backyard composting matter is sorted into 2 categories: “greens” and “browns.” Greens are typically kitchen scraps like fruits and veggies or any items high in nitrogen. Browns are generally tree-based materials such as wood chips and paper that are high in carbon.

Below is a list of greens and browns that are recommended for composting:

Greens

• Fruit and veggie scraps
• Eggshells
• Coffee grounds
• Coffee filters
• Paper tea bags (with staples removed)
• Grass Clippings

Browns

• Twigs
• Leaves
• Paper (not glossy or colorful)
• Cardboard (not waxy, with tape and glue removed)
• Wood chips (untreated, unpainted

There are specific items you want to avoid putting into your compost to prevent weeds or diseases from spreading. Some of these items can be composted on a commercial scale, but your at-home pile won’t get hot enough to break them down:

Materials to avoid

• Animal products (meat, fish, bones)
• Dairy products
• Greasy foods (high in fat or oil)
• Produce stickers
• Compostable tableware or bags
• Cooked food (in large amounts)
• Invasive plants
• Weeds gone to seed
• Pest or disease-riddled plants
• Plants killed with herbicide
• Pet waste
• Dryer lint

Beginning your pile

Before you actually start, you’ll need to collect your greens and browns. Find somewhere in your yard that’s convenient and will prevent your browns from blowing away. Set up a bucket or two for collecting greens (under the sink is a great option).

To begin your backyard compost pile, first breakdown your tougher materials into smaller chunks. Thick branches should be turned into wood chips. Corn cobs should be chopped into 1-2in pieces. Breaking them down will allow them to decompose more quickly and can be done when first set aside for the pile, or right before they’re added.

In your “bin,” set down a layer of bulky browns (branches, twigs, leaves) that’s about 4-6in thick. This will help oxygen reach the bottom of the pile. From there, alternate between green and brown layers, aiming to end with a layer of browns. Ideally you should use about 2-3 times more browns than greens in the pile. Dampen, but don’t soak, the pile and leave it alone.

Turn your pile to mix the materials and aerate everything about every 3-4 days. You don’t need to water the compost unless it seems dry (it should have the consistency of a moist sponge). If you’re in a hot and arid climate, you’ll water your pile about once a week. As your pile sits it will heat up on its own to 130-160⁰F, so it should be noticeably hot when you turn it.

If your compost seems cold, add more greens and turn the pile. And if you’re noticing a bad odor around the pile, add browns to help reduce moisture and turn it more often.

Harvesting your compost

Depending on what you put in, how large your pile is, and how regularly you turn it, it can take anywhere from 2 weeks to a full year for your compost to break down. So be patient! Maintain the pile until you can no longer spot food scraps and the pile isn’t heating up between turns. At this point, stop adding materials to the pile, but continue maintaining it for 4 more weeks as it cures. It’s now ready to harvest!

You’ll want to sift your compost to remove any final bits that might not have broken down fully, like eggshells or peach pits. These can be added into a new pile, so don’t throw them away!

Once sifted, your compost is ready to use! Whatever you don’t immediately add into your garden can be returned to its bin or into a new storage bucket until it’s ready to use. Compost won’t go bad, but it will lose nutrients the longer it’s stored.

Countertop Composting

The most compact and fastest method for composing is countertop composting with an appliance.  With a simple, plug in countertop composter, you can have compost in as little as 24 hours.

These machines have grinders that mechanically break down the food scraps, and then they rely on heat and enzyme activity to quickly break everything down into convenient plant food.

This is the method I’ve recommended to my parents in a suburban area.  They have dogs, and they don’t want them breaking into the compost bin, but they also have plenty of plants that could use the fertilizer.

Materials

To get started, you’ll need a countertop composting appliance.  Personally, I’ve used and tested a Vego, and it works really well.  The most common models are listed below:

ModelProcessing TimeCapacityMicrobial ActionUnique Features

Vego Kitchen ComposterExpress: 6 to 8 hours
Outdoor Fertilizer: 10 to 12 hours
Fully Composted: 22 to 24 hours4 Liters (3.3 lbs)Enzymatic BreakdownMultiple modes, high capacity and two color choices (black or white)

Lomi by PelaExpress: 3 to 5 hours
Fully Composted: 16 to 20 hours3 Liter (2.2 lbs)Enzymatic BreakdownMultiple modes and several color choices for the unit

Vitamix FoodCycler FC-50Only express mode 4-8 hours, just partially broken down for further composting outdoors2.5 liters (1.5 lbs)Only Mechanical Breakdown, no enzyme packsFast, but only offers partial breakdown of scraps rather than fully composted

Countertop Composting

I have a detailed article on how to use a countertop composter, but it’s really quite simple. 

You put the food scraps into the bin, and then press start.

The machine turns them into compost in 8 to 24 hours, depending on the cycle you’ve selected.

Output from the three modes on the countertop composter. Left is fully composted (22 to 24 hours). Middle is partially composted for outdoor use (10 to 12 hours). Right is express mode, for pre-processing it for the regular compost bin (8 hours).

Vermicomposting (worm based)

This is a more compact form of composting that uses worms to break down the materials (as opposed to heat). It’s easier to maintain than a backyard pile and is a great project for kids!

Materials

To get started you’ll need a tight-lidded container, bedding, and worms.

Worms don’t like light, so your container needs a tight lid to allow them to reach the upper layers comfortably. You can use plastic storage containers, or construct a bin out of untreated wood.

You can make your own bedding by soaking non-glossy newspaper or leaves for 10 minutes before they go into the bin. Straw, mature compost, shredded cardboard, peat moss, and wood chips are also viable options. The goal is to provide your worms with something that can allow airflow, retain moisture, and provide a bit of insulation.

For worms, you’ll most likely use Red Wigglers. Only 7 species of earthworm are recommended for composting, and Red Wigglers are by far the most common. Worms can be purchased online. Many people source worms from friends who already vermicompost or from vendors at farmer’s markets.