Composting transforms food scraps and yard waste into nutrient-rich material that helps improve soil structure, retain moisture, and support healthy plant growth. Plus, it’s an easy way to put household waste to good use.

What You Can Compost

Nitrogen-rich green materials help heat up the compost pile:

• Fruit and vegetable scraps

• Eggshells

• Tea leaves and coffee grounds

• Grass clippings

• Plant trimmings

Carbon-rich brown materials provide structure and airflow:

• Cardboard

• Paper

• Straw

• Dry leaves

• Small twigs

• Untreated wood chips

A healthy compost pile typically contains more brown than green material—roughly a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio.

What to Avoid

Avoid adding:

• Dairy or meat products

• Oily foods

• Pet waste

• Diseased plants

• Weeds with seeds

• Chemically treated wood or glossy paper

These substances can attract pests or create odor and contamination issues. Not everything that is considered commercially compostable can be composted at home!

Choose a Composting Spot

Pick a dry, partially shaded area with good drainage. Compost can be made in:

• A compost bin

• A tumbler

• A simple backyard pile

Keeping the pile in contact with soil helps beneficial organisms get to work.

Build the Pile

Start with a layer of brown material, then alternate greens and browns as you go. Cut larger items into smaller pieces to help them break down faster.

Your compost should feel like a wrung-out sponge—moist, but not soaking wet.

Turn the Compost

Mix or turn the pile every week or two to introduce oxygen and speed up decomposition. If the pile smells unpleasant, it likely needs additional brown material or more air flow.

Know When It’s Ready

Finished compost is dark, crumbly, and pleasantly earthy-smelling. If your compost has a foul odor, it may need more time to break down—there should be no visible signs of the original materials added to the pile.

The pile should be completely cool to the touch and no longer generating heat. Finding earthworms in your compost is also a great sign, as they typically find their way in once the pile has cooled and become nutrient-rich.

Most compost piles take anywhere from a few months to a year to mature, depending on temperature, moisture levels, and how often the pile is turned.

Use finished compost:

• Mixed into potting soil

• As mulch around plants

• In garden beds

• Around trees and shrubs

Your garden and the planet will thank you.