What is Compost?
Composting is nature’s way of recycling. Composting is a natural process of decomposition of organic material into a rich soil amendment.

Why Should I Compost?
The disposal of solid waste is becoming an increasingly difficult problem. Approximately 25% of your household waste is yard trimmings and kitchen scraps. To help reduce the stress on existing landfills and incinerators, New Hampshire passed a law in 1993 which prohibits the land filling or incineration of leaf and yard waste materials. As homeowners, we can play a major role in recycling organic wastes through composting. Best of all, the finished compost can improve your garden soil and the plants growing in it.

What Can I Compost?
Use the following lists as a guide to composting. To produce the best quality compost, material thicker than one-quarter inch should be shredded or chopped.

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How Can I Use Compost?
Compost can be applied to enrich the flower and vegetable garden, and to top-dress the lawn and as mulch around trees and shrubs. Houseplants and planter boxes will benefit from combining compost with the potting soil. Before using, it’s best to sift the compost through a one-half inch mesh hardware cloth. The remaining coarse material may then be put back into a new compost pile.

Heavy clay or light sandy soil will benefit most from the addition of compost. Apply a two-inch layer on the soil surface and thoroughly work it into the upper six to eight inches of soil.

How Does Composting Work?
Biology
Organic waste material is layered up and decomposes through the actions of the soil micro-organisms. They start the process of decaying matter by breaking down plant tissue. Soon, fungi and protozoans join in and later centipedes, millipedes, beetles and earthworms do their part. These micro-organisms work best when sufficient oxygen, moisture and nitrogen are supplied.

Materials
Anything growing in the yard, leaves, weeds, grass clippings, kitchen waste (except meat, bones, dairy products, and fatty foods) are potential food for the tiny micro-organisms working in the pile.

Surface Area
Material decomposes faster if the micro-organisms have more surfaces with which to work. Chopping garden waste with a shovel, and/or running it through a shredding machine or lawnmower speeds its composting.

Size
The ideal size for the pile is four feet wide and four feet high by any convenient length. Smaller piles have trouble holding heat and larger piles may have aeration difficulties.

Moisture and Aeration
The microbes work best when the pile is as moist as a wrung-out sponge and has plenty of air passages. Too much sun will dry out the pile and too much water will make it soggy.

Time and Temperature
The hotter the pile, the faster the composting. Ideal composting temperatures range from 100 to 140 degrees F. With proper amounts of water, air, and materials, compost can be made in 2 to 3 months.

Carbon to Nitrogen (C/N) Ratio
All living organisms need relatively large amounts of the element carbon (C) and smaller amounts of nitrogen (N). To speed composting, combine carbon-rich "brown" materials such as leaves with nitrogen-rich "green" materials such as grass clippings. The ideal compost combination is thirty parts carbon to one part nitrogen.

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Select a Method
Your compost pile can be as simple as a heap of materials in a corner of your yard, or a bin to help organize the pile and keep it from blowing around your yard. Ready-made and easy-to-assemble bins can be purchased at local hardware or garden supply stores. Many people prefer to use their own method or create a bin themselves. There are many different types of methods or units to choose from.

Heaps/Piles
What are they? Heap composting doesn’t require a structure. It is simply a pile placed in your yard.
How? Combine organic materials together in a heap/pile measuring about five feet wide and three feet high. Materials may be added as they become available, or stockpiled until enough materials are available to make a good sized heap. Dampen to the damp sponge stage. The pile may be turned regularly or not at all.
Pros/Cons? This is the least expensive method, but if no turning is done, composting will take many months.

Mulching
How? Spread leaves and grass clippings around the base of plants a few inches from the stem. Chipped woody waste can be used as mulch around trees and shrubs.
Pros/Cons? Yard waste works first as mulch then decomposes into a soil amendment. The disadvantage is you have to buy or rent power equipment to chip woody wastes.
Variations: Chipped materials can be used to make informal garden paths.

Holding Units
What are they? Simple containers or bins that hold yard and garden waste until composting is complete.
How? Add organic material to the holding unit as it is generated. The composting process can be hastened by chopping or shredding organic materials, mixing high-nitrogen and high-carbon materials, maintaining proper moisture, or turning the pile.
Pros/Cons? Holding units are easily made and are a relatively inexpensive method of composting. Composting may take six months to two years depending upon the organic materials and conditions present.
Variations: Possible holding units are circles of wire fencing or hardware cloth, old wooden pallets wired and tied together, snow fencing or wire framed in wood. In any case, the unit should be constructed to allow air transfer through the sides and back.

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Turning Units
What are they? A series of three or more bins, or a rotating barrel/rolling ball that allows wastes to be turned regularly. Most appropriate for gardeners with a large volume of yard waste, or for those requiring faster composting.
How? Layer alternately, high-carbon and high-nitrogen materials in a 30:1 ratio. Moisten to the damp sponge stage. When the temperature of the pile decreases substantially, turn it into the next bin. Again, dampen if not moist and add high-nitrogen material if heating doesn’t occur. After the pile heats and cools again, turn into the third bin. The compost should be ready for use after two weeks in the third bin.
Pros/Cons? Produces a high-quality compost in a short time with a large amount of care and labor. Units may be expensive to build or buy.
Variations: Turning units may be built of wood, concrete block, or a combination of wood and wire. There are also barrel/rolling ball composters which tumble the wastes.One way to further reduce the amount of waste going into the landfills and incinerators and to improve the quality of your compost is to incorporate food wastes into your backyard composting program. Currently the State of New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services permits kitchen wastes to be composted at the same location that they are generated. This means that you can compost your own kitchen wastes in your own backyard. However, additional care should be taken when introducing food wastes into your compost pile to avoid odors or attracting wild animals.

Soil Incorporation
Burying your organic waste is the simplest method of composting.
Which wastes? Kitchen scraps excluding bones, meat, dairy or fatty foods.
How? Bury everything at least eight inches below the surface. Fill and cover the hole. This can become planting space next season.
Pros/Cons? A simple method but the absence of air means some nutrients are lost. Rodents and dogs may become a problem if the waste isn’t buried at least eight inches.

Using An Outdoor Bin
How? Composting vegetative kitchen wastes in a holding or turning unit is similar to composting yard wastes except it requires additional management to avoid attracting wild animals such as raccoons or skunks. Some suggestions for avoiding problems are:
• Steer clear of food wastes that are high in protein and fat such as meats, oils, fish scraps, table scraps and dairy products.
• Chop materials into small pieces to encourage faster composting.
• Turn kitchen wastes into the center of the pile as they are added.
• Turn the compost pile frequently.
• Add pest-proof sides and a cover to your bin.
• If these precautions do not prevent pest problems, kitchen wastes should not be placed in the pile or bin.
Pros/Cons? This is a great method for reducing your household wastes while creating high-quality soil. However, more effort is required to avoid attracting pests.

Red Worm Composting
Feeding red worms is a great way to make high-quality compost.
Which wastes? Kitchen scraps excluding bones, meat, dairy or fatty foods.
How? Use a bin approximately 2 feet by 3 feet with solid sides, drainage holes and a tight fitting lid. Fill the bin with moistened bedding made of shredded newspaper, peat moss or cardboard "bedding". Add a pound or more of red worms. Bury your food wastes throughout the bin where the worms will gradually eat it and turn it into rich compost.
Pros/Cons? Kitchen wastes can be composted indoors year round while avoiding pest problems at the same time. Feeding red worms is a great way to convert food wastes into high-quality soil for houseplants, seedling transplants, or general garden use. You will also have plenty of worms for fishing.
Variations: A stationary outdoor bin can be used in all but the coldest months, or a portable indoor/outdoor bin can be used year-round.

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