Compost Bins and Piles

Whether you're planning to create an organic vegetable garden or you simply want an excellent source of nutrient rich soil for your flower beds, creating compost is the way to go. There are a variety of ways to create compost though, and some of them take longer than others.

Compost is made naturally by organic materials breaking down and decomposing. And decomposition takes time. The larger your materials are when you add them to the compost pile are, the longer they will take to break down naturally. So one of the easiest things you can do to help your compost be fully ready faster, is to break the materials down a bit before you add them to your pile.

If for instance, you're using kitchen fruit and vegetable scraps such as apple and banana peels, then either chop them up into smaller pieces with a knife before adding them to your compost pile, or drop them into the blender and chop them up smaller. If you're using wood chips or grass clippings, you can make these decompose faster by either grinding them up into much smaller pieces, or burning them and using their ashes. Newspaper can also compost faster if you shred it up before adding it to the compost pile.

Now there are many different ways to actually create your compost "pile", and your chosen method may not actually involve a pile at all. Piles are the simplest and cheapest ways to create compost though, so that's why you hear them mentioned most often. You can also create a "bin" yourself, or buy a commercial version which will make creating compost easier. Let's look at each of these options.

Compost Piles
A general compost pile can be started in the corner of your yard, or even in an empty garden bed in the fall. All you do is add the organic materials you want to compost, then turn and mix that pile regularly using a rake, hoe, or pitch fork.

Compost decomposes fastest when it's hot and moist though, so you'll find yourself having better luck if you create your pile in a hot, sunny spot of your yard. During the summer or dry seasons, you'll also need to water the pile about once each week while you're turning and mixing it. In most cases, informal compost piles of this sort take about six months to be fully ready for garden use. That time will vary of course, based on how much you broke down your organic materials before adding them to the pile.

Most people prefer to create a compost pile in one go, and not add any other material to it while it's decomposing. This allows things in the pile to decompose at a steady rate, instead of having partially decomposed items which were added at much later dates.

A compost bin uses the same process as the pile, with the primary difference being that you're using a container of some sort for your composting. Some people build a small square "stall" of sorts to compost in, while others may use a metal barrel or a commercial container.

The commercial containers are popular because you can usually turn the compost without even opening up the bin. You simply crank a handle of some sort on the outside to mix everything around, thus you don't need pitchforks or other garden tools, and you don't have to deal with the decomposing smells that normally surround a compost bin either.
 

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