Composting couldn’t be easier! You can take your veggies scraps and make nutrient-rich soil out of it. Simple as that! Just kidding it does take some extra work in your day-to-day life, but once you get the hang of it, it is easy.

I was really intimidated by composting for a while, because googling “how-to compost” gave 10 different ways to compost, all with different rules. Eventually, I just said fuck it, and combined a bunch of rules from a bunch of different websites.

What we compost

Our composting rules are as followed:

1. Don’t be a bitch
2. No meat, dairy, or cooked foods
3. Take stickers off the food waste

That doesn’t fully explain what can go into compost, but it is the best way to remind yourself/guests at the house what should be going into the compost, as a general rule of thumb.

The items we DO put into our compost:

• Egg shells
• Non-cooked vegetable/fruit taste
• Coffee grounds
• Egg cartons
• Any compostable paper (without ink/without any water-proofing or non-stick on it, etc.)
• Lobster shells

The items we DO NOT put into our compost:

• Fish
• Meat
• Dairy products
• Bones
• Baked goods
• Fatty foods or grease

How we compost

First step, get a small bin to keep on the counter. Collecting your scraps inside makes it way easier to compost – taking the scraps outside every time you cook sucks. Also, the items that you compost don’t smell that quickly. We usually take our compost out once a week and it doesn’t smell.

Pro-tip: Get a bin with a lid for the counter! That way in the summer, fruit flies don’t ruin your life.

As for the outside part, you can free-style it. I used to make my compost in a rubbermaid bin, with holes in the bottom/side for air. You could have a pile in a corner of your lot, or make a covered bin for the winter. Or you can get a compost bin tumbler, which makes the decomposition happen a bit faster.

Currently, we have a 3-section compost bin that Sammy made me with free pallet wood. The first section is currently breaking down, the middle section is our current compost, and the 3rd is available for starting composting next season.

Greens and browns

The most important part of compost is knowing that the kitchen scraps are the “green” material. The compost also needs the “brown” material. So you need to add brown material in order for it to properly decompose.

• Brown matter: This is carbon-rich material such as straw, wood chippings, shredded brown cardboard, or fallen leaves
• Green matter: These are nitrogen-rich materials like grass clippings, weeds, manure, or kitchen scraps

The brown material I usually add is leaves! I also add some cardboard sometimes.

You will want more browns to greens – honestly I just eyeball it and it turns out fine. Usually, if my compost doesn’t smell, I assume the ratio is good.

Next steps

Once you have the kitchen-scraps and leaves in the outdoor compost area you mostly get to ignore it and let it breakdown. However, you do need to do a little maintenance throughout the year. You will need to turn it with a shovel. If the idea of turning it with a shovel is out of the question, you would love those compost bin tumblers!

Also, compost takes some time to breakdown. Patience is key! Eventually you will want to stop adding new kitchen scraps and just rotate it while it breaks down.

Once the compost is done, you can add it to your garden! Simple, right?

If you want a more in-depth version of How To Compost, this Farmers Almanac post gives good details, without a lot of extra fluff.

Happy Composting! – Steph

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