Composting at Home

Compost is organized decay.

It takes what the garden no longer needs and returns it as a material the garden can use again.

Three-step compost illustration showing garden greens and browns entering a bin, active decomposition, and finished compost added around vegetables.
Compost turns garden residues and kitchen plant scraps into a dark, crumbly soil amendment through moisture, air, time, and decomposer activity.

Greens and browns

Fresh grass, vegetable scraps, and green plant material provide nitrogen.

Dry leaves, straw, shredded paper, and woody stems provide carbon.

A good pile contains both.

Moisture

Compost should feel like a wrung-out sponge.

Too dry and the process slows. Too wet and the pile turns anaerobic.

Time

Compost does not need to be perfect.

Finished compost should be dark, crumbly, and earthy. If recognizable materials remain, sift them out or let them continue breaking down.

Field notes

Compost is less about waste disposal than garden memory. The remains of one season become the soil of the next.