Sankofa Speaks Blog: Composting Part 2 of 2: How to Compost?

Last week we gave you plenty of reasons to compost. Now we want to show you how.

Composting at home is easier than you might think. There's a bit of science behind it to understand, but that just makes it more fun and rewarding. Even if you have limited space outside (or no space) there are ways to do it. Below we'll discuss the basics of outdoor composting.

In case you're not sure what compost looks like, it's all that rich dark brown soil-like material.

The basics:

One of Sankofa's Composting Containers

1. Get food scrap collection and composting containers. In order to compost you'll need a bin to collect your kitchen food scraps in. This can be as simple as a small plastic bin with lid from Walmart. You'll also need an outdoor bin for your scraps to turn into compost. This bin can be made of almost any material, as long as it can contain the scraps. Sankofa has a wooden container as seen on the right. If you're handy, you could build your own bin.

2. Collect food scraps. The next step is to start collecting kitchen food scraps (mainly fruit and vegetable cores, peels, and stalks). You can see our workplace collection bin full of food below. We've provided a list of compost do's and dont's at the end of the post.

Our "garbage", a worm's food

A nice mix of "greens" (food scraps-orange peels) and "browns" (leaves)

3. Start adding food scraps to your compost bin. Now that your kitchen collection bin is full of scraps, start adding those scraps to your outside pile. If you're using the vermicomposting method, you'll need to get the pile "started" before you add food scraps. This means laying down bedding (shredded newspaper/cardboard) and adding worms. You can then feed the worms by adding your collected food scraps.

4. Rotate your pile. Every week or two when you add new food scraps, rotate the pile. Using a pitchfork bring the outside material inside and vice versa. This allows food scraps sitting on the outside the chance to decompose via worms. In addition to adding food scraps to the pile, you'll want to add more shredded newspaper, dry leaves, or wood chips. This keeps your pile well balanced.

5. Keep an eye on your compost. Monitor you're pile occasionally. For instance you don't want to see wild animals near the pile. Something that attracts animals is the addition of meat/bones to the pile (don't do that). See more tips listed below.

As mentioned before, even if you don't have space outside to have a large compost pile, there are small indoor composting container options. These all-in-one containers are very easy to use and can be found on sites like amazon.com.

Be sure to...

Get the right size compost bin. An ideal size for an outdoor compost collection bin is from 3x3x3ft - 5x5x5ft. The composting process doesn't work as well with containers too small or too large.
Have the right carbon to nitrogen ratio. Ideally the amount of carbon compared to nitrogen should be 25-30:1. Different materials will contribute different elements. In the world of composting there are "greens" and there are "browns". Greens are the food scraps you'll add from your kitchen, which contribute nitrogen to the pile. Browns are things like leaves, twigs, and wood chips, which contribute carbon. You'll want to add both to your pile.
Keep the pile moist. Your pile should be moist without being overly wet. A good way to measure this is to pick up a handful of compost, squeeze it together and release it. The compost should stick together in a ball. If it falls apart in your hand, it's too dry. If liquid drips from your hand, it's too wet.
Get the pile hot enough. In order for the composting process to work correctly, the inside of your pile should be between 130 and 150 degrees. This ensures any bad bugs in the pile will be killed, without harming the worms. Every week or so, you'll want to turn your pile, essentially getting the new food scraps to the inside of the pile and moving the decomposing material from the inside to the outside. As you do this, you should see steam rising and feel warmth from the pile.
Ensure adequate air flow. Air should be able to move throughout the pile. Oxygen is required in the composting process. When the pile gets compacted and air is restricted, decomposition slows down.