Back to Info Sheets	Making Compost   A compost pile will reduce your output of garbage as well as provide you with an excellent soil improver for you garden.   TO START: Place the bin in a sunny, sheltered spot and close enough to the house so that it is convenient to unload deposits.   THE STRUCTURE: Your compost bin can be made of slats of wood, chicken wire, a bottomless garbage pail of you can purchase a durable plastic ready-made one.  An opening low on one side enables easy removal of the compost.   WHAT TO COMPOST: Kitchen scraps, green grass clippings, saw dust, dry leaves, shredded newspaper, egg shells and coffee grounds are good compostables. Do not put in grease, oil, animal fats, bones, meat scraps or cat and dog feces as this will attract pests and slow down the decay.   HOW TO: Start with a 6 inch layer of soil or well rotted manure at the bottom.  Add a layer of shredded newspaper, dry leaves or wood ash and a layer of nitrogen rich material (kitchen waste or lawn clippings).  Alternate these layers with soil, lime, bone meal, seaweed, and a compost accelerator or high nitrogen fertilizer.  Spray the compost with water regularly.  Turning the pile aids decomposition and should be done when it looks like the pile has shrunk.   WINTER: You may add new compostables to the pile in the spring. As the temperatures warm, the compost will start decomposition again.  Putting black plastic over the pile will speed up the process.   Vol. 97 no 37.
© Murray's Garden and Horticultural Services Last updated: March 12, 2008