For anyone looking to amp up their garden or help out Mother Nature, these composting 101 tips can make a huge difference. When I first started composting in my tiny little apartment it seemed really daunting, not to mention smelly, but it turned out to be way easier than I ever expected. It also showed me that I can compost anywhere, anytime — and so can you.
It’s estimated that about fifty percent of all food produced or consumed in the States ends up in a landfill. That’s freaking crazy, but composting can do a lot to shrink those statistics. So, without further ado, here is my personally tested guide to composting 101…
1. Find Yourself A Good Container
Although you can buy containers made specifically made for holding food scraps, this container can be literally anything you want. Just make sure it has some ventilation, won’t leak, and a lid. The lid is very, very important if you don’t like the smell of decomposition. Not sure if I’ve ever met someone who does, but no judgement here.
#SpoonTip: If you’re feeling bougee, they even make compost containers with carbon filters that eliminate any bad smells.
2. Figure Out What You’re Going to Do With Your Compost
Do you have a garden you’re already set to use your compost on? If yes, awesome! Just make sure you have an outdoor setup for further decomposition.
If not, and you’re like me, what I do is give my compost to a friend’s mom who loves using compost in her garden. I get to feel better about taking an Uber there, and she gets more compost to help her plants free of charge. It’s a win-win situation.
If all of your friends’ moms are more of the rock garden variety, lots of communities also have local composting centres or local farms that gladly accept compost. Just make sure to look up their guidelines first and tweak what you’re putting in your compost based on that.
3. Learn What Can and Can’t Be Composted
This is the chart that I rely on pretty religiously to tell me what I should and shouldn’t compost, but I also add in shredded paper. Not everyone does this, although I’ve found that as long as the paper is completely untreated, it works well to add air and soak up some moisture if my compost is too watery for any reason. It also works as a good “brown”.
4. Alternate “Greens” and “Browns”
This was one of the things that I struggled with at first, because it can be a bit of a learning curve. Not a very big one though, don’t worry. In composting there are “greens” — kitchen waste, grass clippings, etc— and “browns” — shredded newspaper, dry leaves. The perfect compost will have an even mix of the two.
5. Mix Regularly and Add Water if Necessary
Also, do as I say and not as I do. The perfect compost mix will also be just a little bit moist — not too soggy, but also not too dried out. For people using outdoor composters for their gardens, make sure to monitor and take special care of your compost baby in hot, dry weather.
6. Cut/Crush Your Food Scraps Into Small Pieces to Speed Thing Up
The smaller your pieces are, the easier it is for air and microbes to get at them and start the decomposing process. This means less work and less time until your compost is ready!
#SpoonTip: Get in the habit of cutting food scraps into small pieces right as you’re producing them so that you don’t have to go digging.
7. Be Patient and Have Faith in the Process
Composting can be extremely rewarding and has honestly made me feel like even if I was an awful person, it’s okay because I compost. I can do no wrong. However, composting is not a quick process. Going full circle from edible vegetable to rich, dark soil can take a couple months. That being said, it is also one of the lowest maintenance projects I’ve ever taken on. I spend max half an hour mixing or adding to my compost every week, which is probably less than the amount of time I spend waiting in line for coffee. #priorities
Now that you have all the tools and tips you need to tackle your own composting project provided in this Composting 101 guide, I wish you the best of luck and may your kitchen only smell a little bit and your Mother Nature karma increase significantly.