How to make compost?

Composting is the process of recycling organic waste such as food or leaves and it can be used for gardening, horticulture and agriculture. Compost is a source of nutrients and it has many benefits, such as fighting climate change, reducing waste, reducing methane emissions, improving soil health and conserving water.

Steps to follow to make compost at home:

1. Select a place to make your compost, it can either be in your backyard or in a medium/big container

2. Select your food scarps (fruits, veggies, the skin or peeling of vegetables, the top of strawberries, tea bags, eggshells, old/dead flowers, even hair)

3. Time to mix! In your container or backyard you're going to create brown and green layers. The brown one is at the bottom and the green one goes on top, repeating this process until you're out of food scraps. The brown layer is conformed by newspapers, egg cartons and dried leaves. The green layer consists of your food scraps: fruit, veggies, vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, grass clippings, etc.

4. Have patience! If it's hot where you live, it can take about 2 months for decomposition. On the other hand, if it's cold it can take up to 6 months. Make sure to keep some air flowing in your mix, it has to be wet yet not soggy. You can rotate the pile with a sticks or spade once every week or 10 days.

5. You'll know it's ready when the compost smells earthy/woody. (it should NOT smell bad).

6. Finally, put it in your garden or in a plant. you can also donate to your local community garden.

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References

Hu, S. (2020). Composting 101. NRDC. Retrieved from https://www.nrdc.org/stories/composting-101#whatis

Simon, J. (2022). Composting can help fight climate change. Get started in 5 easy steps. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2020/04/07/828918397/how-to-compost-at-home