Beginner Composting for Homesteaders: How to Start the Easy Way

Composting doesn’t have to be complicated. This beginner-friendly guide explains how to start composting at home, improve your garden soil naturally, and build healthy, nutrient-rich compost for your homestead.

I’ll be honest – it took me several years of gardening before I even tried composting. But now that I realize how easy, rewarding and effective it can be, I wish I would have tried it sooner!

It can seem complicated…and I’m sure you can get really advanced with it and make it complicated. But it surely doesn’t have to be! The truth is, you don’t need a bunch of fancy tools and equipment to compost.

All you need, really, are a few simple hand tools and some composting ingredients. In this post, we’ll go over what you need to get started, the basic components of a compost pile, and how to make your first compost. Let’s get started!

Why You Should Start Composting

There are so many benefits of composting, but here are just a few:

Reduces Waste. One of the most obvious reasons for starting a compost pile is the fact that compost turns what would be garbage into something useful. And not only useful, but amazingly beneficial for your garden. Which leads us into the next point.

Improves Soil Health. Compost improves soil structure, adds organic matter, and promotes beneficial microorganisms in your soil. This leads to healthier plants overall.

Reduces Water and Fertilizer Needs. Compost improves the moisture retention of soil, thereby reducing water usage. Compost also provides essential nutrients in slow-release organic forms, which reduces the need for chemical fertilizers.

Saves Money. Composting can not only reduce your garbage bill, but it can also save you money when it comes to water usage, fertilizer needs, and plant replacement needs, since you’ll have healthier plants to begin with.

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What You Need to Start Composting – Tools & Setup

Now that we’ve convinced you to start composting, let’s talk about tools and setup.

Some people buy composting bins while others make their own. Composting bins can be helpful in two ways. They keep the compost contained, and they keep scavengers out.

If you’re just getting started though, you don’t have to have a compost bin. Simply layering the compost neatly into a pile is easy and effective.

When planning a place for your compost pile, try to find an open spot free of any weeds, debris or grasses. You’ll need a few basic tools and supplies in addition to your compost ingredients, such as:

• Pitch fork
• Rake
• Shovel
• Medium to heavy duty tarp
• Weights or tie downs to secure tarp (could be as simple as a few pieces of wood or large rocks)
• Watering can or garden hose with shower nozzle

What You Need to Start Composting – Compost Ingredients

When it comes to compost ingredients, there are three basic components. These components are: greens, browns, and water. If you’ve dabbled in the composting world at all, you have probably come across the terms “greens” and “browns”. But in case you’re new to these terms, I’ll provide the basic definitions here.

Greens

“Greens” are the compost ingredients that are high in nitrogen. Some examples of nitrogen sources you can add to compost are green grass clippings, food scraps, coffee grounds, and manure.

Browns

“Browns” are compost ingredients that are high in carbon. Some examples of carbon sources that you can add to compost are wood chips or shavings, unbleached paper, shredded cardboard, fallen leaves, straw or dried grass.

Water

Water is the third major component of compost. It is essential to keep the compost pile evenly moist throughout. The general rule of thumb is that you should be able to squeeze one drop of water out of a handful of compost at any given time.

I don’t necessarily measure any of these ingredients – I eyeball all three of them. I just make sure my greens and browns seem relatively balanced, and layer plenty of water into the pile as I go.

How to Make Your First Compost Pile

There are many ways to make a compost pile – this is just how I’ve found is easiest for me and still makes great compost.

Step 1: Gather all your tools and ingredients.

The process will go much more smoothly and quickly if everything you need is already gathered nearby. This includes your greens, browns, water, pitchfork, tarp, and weights to secure the tarp.

As you gather your greens and browns, try as best as you can to avoid any weed seeds. If you’re using green grass clippings, make sure you aren’t cutting grass that has already gone to seed. If you’re raking leaves, avoid areas where leaves have fallen into dry grass, which often contains a plethora of weed seeds.

Step 2: Assemble compost pile.

Starting with the browns, spread a layer evenly on the ground. Shake the material out as you spread it. The idea is to get as much air into the pile as you layer as possible.

I like to keep my compost pile around 3 cubic feet. This makes it easy to work with and reduces the risk of a compost fire (in addition to other best practices such as turning the pile often and maintaining moisture).

Follow the brown layer with a layer of greens, making sure you are breaking up any clumps and shaking out the material to optimize air flow as much as possible. Next, add water, showering it evenly over the whole pile to saturate the material.

Repeat this process until the material is used up or you reach the optimal size – around 3 feet x 3 feet x 3 feet.

Step 3: Cover the compost pile.

While it’s not always necessary, I prefer to cover my compost piles. In our climate, this prevents the compost from drying out too fast in the summer, and getting too wet in the winter. It also helps the pile heat up, which helps the materials break down and turn into compost.

I cover my compost pile with a simple tarp, and secure it with rocks or wood blocks. Nothing fancy over here.

Step 4: Turn the compost pile.

Aim to turn your compost pile every three days or so. I’ll admit, this doesn’t always happen for me. Sometimes it’s a week before I get to it, so don’t worry about being super strict on turning timelines. Yes, it does optimize the composting process, but a few extra days here and there surely won’t make or break your compost. It might just take a little longer to get to the final product.

To turn the compost, start with taking off about the top third of the pile and setting it aside. You want to try to rotate the layers as much as possible, so you’ll want to save that top for the middle.

Now, with the pitchfork, start taking material from the middle of the current pile and making a new pile. Remember, we want as much air flow as possible, so try to shake out the material as you go. Add water as necessary, showering it evenly over the pile. If water is running out the bottom of the pile, you have added enough water.

Once you create the new base out of the middle, take the top layer that you set aside and layer that on the new pile in the same manner. Add water.

Lastly, finish layering the new pile with the base of the old pile. This way, all the layers are rotated. Add water, then cover back up with the tarp.

Composting FAQ

Here are some answers to the most common composting questions. If you have any others, please leave a comment below!

Will compost smell bad?

The short answer is no. A new compost pile will smell like decaying material, but it shouldn’t smell foul. Pretty quickly, like within a couple weeks, that decaying smell should turn into a nice earthy compost smell.

Should you add new material to an existing pile?

I try not to, as it will prolong the process. I usually try to gather enough material to make a whole new pile, instead of adding to my existing pile. However, if it seems the pile is not heating up enough to break down properly, you may need to add some greens (nitrogen-rich material).

How will I know when the compost is ready?

The compost is ready when the material is completely broken down and unrecognizable, it has that pleasant, earthy smell and it looks like, well, compost.

Do I have to cover the pile?

While it isn’t entirely necessary to cover a compost pile, it can be beneficial in most climates. It helps maintain a proper moisture balance, can help the pile heat up enough to break down the material, and can help mitigate any odor, especially in the first week or so.

There is a white, almost spiderweb-like substance growing in my compost. What is it?

From my research, this is a completely normal type of bacteria that helps break down the material in compost piles. It is also responsible for that pleasant earthy compost smell.