Making a Compost Heap in Your Backyard is Easy!

First you want to pick the right location for your heap. The pile needs to have easy access, be contained from small animals, and be able to hold water.

When digging a whole in the ground, consider the amount of food you will be using in your compost.

Healthy compost foods include:

Coffee grounds, Vegetable Scraps, Cover Crops, Fruit wastes and grains, Grass Clippings, Hair
Manure, Milk, Seaweed, Weeds, Fish & Seafood Scraps, Eggs and Eggshells

Start by layering your compost. Add plenty of greens in the beginning along with soil and browns such as leaves, hay, vegetable seeds and stalks, sawdust, and pine needles.

Be sure to water your compost each time you add a new layer to the pile. *Try collecting grey water from your kitchen or bathroom to use for water for your compost.

Collect your food each day and keep it in a sealed container to keep bugs out. Every few days you can add a layer of food, dirt, browns, and water to the pile.

You also want to turn the pile and keep it stirred up. This helps to aerate the soil and speed up the process. Be sure to turn the pile often for better results.

As the microorganisms breakdown and your soil forms, you can take the soil directly to your garden for healthy and truly-homegrown vegetables!