So you've made the wonderful decision to create a compost pile in your own backyard. Whether you would like to create a backyard compost for its environmental or gardening benefits, below are easy steps to get your pile started. But before you start, you'll need a bin, green material, brown material, a water source, and a gardening fork.
First, lets pick a location to place your backyard compost pile. It is best to start your pile in a well ventilated area (not too close to fences or walls-a few feet away is good) that is convenient for you. Because this may be your first time composting, you might want to avoid putting your pile near your neighbors-the smell an inexperienced pile can give off can be quite a nuisance.
Bin Toy Organizer
Next, it is time to choose a bin. Using a bin isn't always necessary, but I find that it makes backyard composting much easier and neater. You can find one at your local nursery or hardware store. A good compost bin for a beginner would be about 3 feet x 3 feet x 3 feet, and should have holes or vents to allow for good air circulation. Because controlling how much moisture is in your pile is such an important part of backyard composting, your bin should have a lid that can be used to cover your pile when it rains or snows.
Now that you have a good location and a bin, just add the ingredients! One part green to two parts brown seem to break down the fastest. Greens are materials such as: grass clippings, kitchen vegetable and fruit scraps. Examples of browns are: dry leaves, twigs, or hay. Add water to this pile giving it an even slightly damp consistency--comparable to a moist sponge. Use your gardening fork to blend well. If you have added too much water, that's okay, just add more greens and/or browns as needed to soak some of the access moisture up. Note that adding too many greens to your backyard compost may cause it to smell bad.
Lastly, all you have to do now is perform some regular maintenance by turning or rotating the contents of your backyard compost with the gardening forkl once a week, and by adding more water as needed. Your compost is ready once its original ingredients are unidentifiable-it will look dark brown in color, and will feel moist, and smell earthy. Usually, it takes about two months for backyard compost to break down. Remove any portion of your pile that has composted, and use it as nutrient rich soil for your garden.
Congratulations! You have easily created a compost pile in your own backyard that would make Mother Earth proud and your garden flourish.
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