Compost

Mother Nature makes compost every time a tree topples and slowly decays, breaking down into minerals and nutrients that enrich the soil and a new generation of plants. So why shouldn’t we use the same strategy? All you need is a small outdoor plot (3 feet by 3 feet is ideal for a compost pile, although smaller piles can work as well), and you can transform vegetable scraps, dry leaves, grass clippings, coffee grounds, and even fireplace ash into a rich, earthy compost that’s perfect for nourishing your outdoor garden or indoor plants.

The recipe for success is simple—just equal parts nitrogen (green matter like grass clippings and veggie or fruit trimmings), carbon (brown matter, such as dry leaves, twigs, or hay), water, and air. You don’t even need to purchase a compost bin; You can simply layer the green and brown matter in an old garbage can (with holes punched into the bottom for drainage) or, easier still, heap it into a pile in the corner of your yard.

A pile that’s well tended—that is, kept moist and well fluffed—will heat up to temperatures of 120 to 140 degrees, hot enough to kill most weeds, and will yield crumbly, dark brown, earth-scented compost in 2 to 3 months. But even a neglected pile will produce compost eventually—it’ll just take longer, and it might not get hot enough to kill weed seeds.

The material you produce can save you some bucks, since you won’t need to buy soil enhancers or chemical fertilizers for your garden and houseplants. You’ll also reduce the volume of household garbage that you add to your landfill: Yard trimmings and food residuals together make up nearly a quarter of the U.S. waste stream, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). And when yard waste decomposes in landfills, it releases methane, a gas that contributes to global warming.

In 2000, only 2.6 percent of food waste in the U.S. was composted. If you, personally, do your part to improve that statistic, you’ll be rewarded with a healthy, well-fed garden—and with the satisfaction of closing an ecological circle, turning the trimmings from last night’s vegetable soup back into the soil that nourished those vegetable plants in the first place.

• Start small. Buy a 1-gallon container to keep near or under your kitchen sink, and start filling it with vegetable and fruit trimmings, eggshells, coffee grounds, tea bags, dead leaves from houseplants, and nut shells. Avoid tossing in oils, fats, dairy products, and meat or fish scraps, which can attract pests and create odors. When your container is full, use it to start a small compost pile in your yard.

• Pile it on. To get started, alternate layers of green matter (grass clippings, your kitchen compost) with brown matter (dry leaves, twigs, sawdust, or hay). Chop or shred any large pieces. Make sure not to add yard trimmings that were treated with chemical pesticides, because they can kill the composting microorganisms.

• Rinse and repeat. Water the pile during dry weather stretches, making sure to poke a hose into its center to assure that it’s thoroughly wet. Your pile is appropriately moist if a handful of compost, when squeezed, yields a few drops of water. If it’s too soggy, it may start to smell.

• Give it some air. You can speed the composting process by fluffing and turning your pile weekly with a pitchfork. This funnels oxygen to the beneficial bacterial and fungus inside your pile. Many commercial composting bins either spin or come apart to make this task easier.

• Dig in. Your compost is done (and ready to be used as mulch or to fill planters) when it yields rich, dark brown humus that smells of the earth. Large chunks of material that didn’t decompose can simply be tossed back into the pile to percolate some more.

• Work the Web. For the easiest composting method ever, check out Organic Gardening’s simple composting method. Search “compost” on their site and you’ll find plenty of other helpful articles. Also check the EPA’s website, or that of your state extension service to learn more about composting. And while you’re online, check your town’s website as well: Many municipalities offer free composting workshops and materials to help you get started.