How to Make Compost - A Complete Guide for Beginners

Written by: Luke Marion

Published on January 14, 2023

Updated on December 30, 2024

Have you ever wondered what the secret is to getting beautiful results in your garden? Well, it’s no secret: amending soil with compost makes the biggest difference. Compost is one of the best resources for your garden in terms of plant nutrition and money savings. Learning how to make compost may seem complicated or intimidating, but it's actually not that difficult.

As a beginning gardener, I didn’t know that I could make a compost pile myself from organic waste. I always saw compost as something that you bought bagged at the store. I didn’t realize what I was capable of, and I was sucked into that convenience vortex where I thought the things I needed for my garden were at the store.

The most empowering thing for me was recognizing that I could make compost myself. And you can, too, once you learn the tips and tricks I am sharing with you.

What I Wish I Knew As a Beginner Gardener

Different types of composting will work at different speeds, but they all produce compost in the end. Whether cold composting, vermicomposting in a worm bin, Bokashi composting, or hot composting (like in this tutorial), the important thing is to start.

When I first started learning how to make compost, I kept reading online about 3-week compost or 5-week compost. This gave me high expectations that were unrealistic and difficult to obtain.

I want you to hear me say that there is no failure when composting. You can pile up some organic matter, leave it alone, and over the course of two or three years, it will turn into compost.

That is a success. Composting will happen naturally whether we try to make it happen or not. A lot of times, people use the speed at which you get finished compost to gauge composting “success.”

How Composting Works

Microorganisms are key in composting. Bacteria break down matter by a process called nitrogen sequestration.

In nitrogen sequestration, bacteria use available nitrogen to break down the organic matter. The nitrogen is released back into the compost when the material is completely broken down.

Here are several factors that affect the speed at which composting works:

Nitrifying Bacteria - The number one factor affecting the speed at which your compost breaks down is the amount of nitrifying bacteria. The more nitrifying bacteria you have, the faster your compost pile will break down.
Aeration - Only anaerobic bacteria can decompose in an environment without oxygen, but anaerobic decomposition takes much longer. The more aeration you have, the more oxygen you have and the more bacteria you can facilitate to actively break down the material. Basically, more air means faster decomposition. Pro-Tip: The compost pile heats up due to the aerobic activity. You’ll know that you have good aeration if you have good heat. Keep the activity aerobic by turning and flipping the pile regularly which adds air.
Particle Size - Another important part of speeding up decomposition is the size of the particles being composted. Large pieces of material will obviously take longer to break down into humus. They also have less surface area and can leave fewer gaps for air. Using consistently small-sized pieces of organic material will create more aeration and faster decomposition.
Moisture: Bacteria are living and breathing organisms that need water. Too much moisture, though, makes the environment like a swamp and causes the bacteria to go anaerobic (aka, stinky!). Too little water and your compost will dry out and become inactive.
Material Composition: The amount of brown and green materials used changes the nitrogen-to-carbon ratio. This ratio of browns to greens will drastically change the speed at which your compost breaks down. A higher concentration of nitrogen-rich material helps bacteria break down compost the quickest (and hottest).

Essential Compost Ingredients

When it comes to nutrient-rich compost, remember that variety is the spice of life. Having a wide variety of inputs is best. Leaves have lots of trace minerals but lack nitrogen. Grass clippings have lots of nitrogen but lack carbon or trace minerals. Mix it up and add eggshells, garden waste, and kitchen scraps too!

Component	Materials You Can Use
Greens - High Nitrogen	Grass clippings, coffee grounds, animal manure, veggie scraps, fruits, flowers, live green plants and weeds.
Browns - High Carbon	Straw, dry leaves, wood chips or mulch, sawdust, shredded cardboard, paper, and twigs.

What Can't Be Composted

It's key to know what can go into compost but also what things are best to leave out.

Non-Compostable Items	Reasons to Avoid
Meat and bones	Meat, bones, and blood may carry pathogens or become infected with dangerous bacteria when decomposing, which could transfer to your soil and plants. They could also attract pests and cause unpleasant odors in your compost.
Dairy products	These do not easily decompose. Dairy creates unpleasant smells and attracts animals.
Greasy foods (Oils)	Food scraps with fats and oils slow down decomposition.
Plastic, styrofoam, or synthetic materials	Don't put things in your compost pile that won’t break down!

Pro-Tip: Bokashi composting is the safest method to use if you want to add things that wouldn't generally be compostable, like meats, eggs, dairy, and greasy foods, because Bokashi uses fermentation instead of decomposition to break down organic material.

How to Make Compost Like a Pro

Before you begin, it is important to consider your goal for the compost. Do you want to use it as a growing medium or as a fertilizer? Your goal will define what you should be composting and the ratio of ingredients you should use.

Fertilizers have high nutrient content without necessarily having humus (pronounced HEW-MUS). For example, animal manure, when composted, is very high in nutrients which makes fertile compost, but it makes a poor growing medium.

Good growing mediums have more humus, the dark, fluffy byproduct of decomposition. You will get nutrients in compost regardless, but your end goal should dictate how you make the compost.

So, if a garden already has beautiful soil and only needs fertilizer, use a higher ratio of greens to make the compost.

If a garden bed has poor soil and needs improved soil quality and soil health, make compost with more browns. Wood chips and other carbon materials will have more structure to them, creating humus. Compost made with more carbon will be fluffier and hold more volume when composted.

When composting at home, I prefer more humus than nutrients. My compost is made up of about 5 parts brown material to 2 or 3 parts green material. With this ratio, it usually takes 3 to 5 months for my compost to completely break down.

Materials Needed For Hot Composting

Keep in mind that a small pile will never heat up because there is not enough organic matter to feed the microbes and create a hot core. A good rule of thumb is to make a compost pile at least 3 feet wide on all sides and 3 feet tall.

Gather these key materials and tools before you get started:

Frame - Although unnecessary, a frame makes hot composting easier. Wooden pallets or wire fencing are good choices for easily containing your compost pile while allowing good airflow. If you don’t have either, a free-standing hot compost pile works just as well. Pro-Tip: Because compost needs to be turned regularly, I used pallets to build a frame with two conjoining 3x3 compost areas. To turn the pile or sift out unfinished compost, simply shovel it into the other side.
Organic Materials - Gather the green and brown plant materials to be composted.
Compost Starter - You will need several heaping shovelfuls of finished compost to add to your new pile as a starter. Just like using a sourdough starter when making bread, adding finished compost contributes live beneficial nitrifying bacteria to the new compost pile to ensure an active pile. Pro-Tip: If you don't have finished compost to use in your new pile, buy aquarium Quick Start at a local pet store. It is loaded with nitrifying bacteria, completely safe, and will act as a compost starter. Add some Quick Start to the water you use when watering in the compost.
Shovel or Pitchfork - You will need one or both of these to pile up your materials initially and then again each time you need to flip your compost pile. Here's a great option for a pitch fork that will pull double-duty in the garden.
Water - Maintaining consistent moisture is essential to hot composting. You will need water and a way to apply it like a hose, watering can, or bucket.
Compost Thermometer - It is important to keep your compost pile at the right temperature. A compost thermometer allows you to check the temperature of your pile regularly so you know when to flip it and when to make adjustments.

Instructions for Hot Composting Method

Assemble a Frame - If you are using a frame, assemble it to make a 3x3 foot area that is also 3 feet tall.
Chop or Shred Materials - Use a shredder, lawn mower, or shovel to chop materials into small bits if needed. Pro-Tip: Make sure all the organic material is broken or chopped into roughly the same-size pieces. This will help it break down faster and more evenly. The smaller the pieces, the faster they will decompose.
Start With a Layer of Browns - Layer the organic material in your frame or pile, beginning with a layer of browns. Pro-Tip: I use a ratio of 5 parts brown to 2 or 3 parts green. An easy way to measure your material is by counting how many shovelfuls you add. If I put 15 shovelfuls of browns in this layer, I will add 6 to 9 shovelfuls of greens in the next layer. Try this ratio, or keep it simple by making a 50/50 blend to start.
Add Water - Wet the layer of browns until it is moist, but there is no running or standing water, similar to a wrung-out sponge. (Remeber to add aquarium Quick Start to the water as a compost starter if you do not have finished compost to add in step 5.)
Build Up a Pile - Add a layer of greens, then a layer of browns and compost starter, and water again. Repeat this process until you have built up a compost pile at least 3 feet wide and 3 feet tall. Finish the pile with a layer of browns on top.
Wait - Now it's time for nature to do its job. Wait about a week before turning the compost for the first time. Or, if you're using a compost thermometer, turn the pile once the thermometer is no longer in the ideal range.
Turn the Compost - Turn the pile with a shovel or pitchfork every week or so. Aim to move the material from the edges and outside into the middle of the new pile. Add water when needed to keep the pile consistently moist. Pro-Tip: Use the squeeze test to see if you have the right amount of moisture. Take a handful of the compost material and squeeze it. It should feel damp and hold its shape but not have water dripping out when squeezed.
Maintain the Compost Pile - Regularly check the pile's temperature using a compost thermometer. Pro-Tip: 130°F to 160°F is the ideal temperature for hot composting. If the pile is getting too hot, turn it even if it hasn’t been a week and/or add more browns. If the temperature is too low, you can add more green materials.

When Is Compost Ready

When mature, the compost pile will start to cool off, and the temperature should drop below 100°F. At this point, no matter how much turning you do, the pile will not heat up.

It should look and smell like dark, crumbly, rich soil, and the original ingredients should be mostly unidentifiable. This means the compost is finished and ready for use at this point. Pro-Tip: If you are not using the compost right away, it is crucial to cover it with a tarp; this will ensure that the quality is retained until it is ready to be used in the garden.

If you composted various materials, they may compost at different rates. Sift the finished compost from the remaining undecomposed debris and leave that in the compost pile.

How to Use Compost

My favorite way to apply compost in raised garden beds or in-ground gardens is as a mulch. Applying compost as a mulch layer on top of the soil with a no-till gardening approach eliminates all the risks.

I prefer to wait until my compost is mature before using it, but I am not perfect at making compost. Even after sifting, there are always little pieces that aren’t fully decomposed.

Working the compost into the soil can cause yellow plants or nitrogen deficiency because the breakdown process will continue working on anything that is not fully decomposed. Nitrogen sequestration will actually rob the available nitrogen from the soil.

Working the compost into the soil also destroys the soil structure. Using it as mulch is a great way to amend your garden soil because it cools down the soil, prevents evaporation, suppresses weeds, prevents erosion, and feeds plants while minimally disturbing the soil.

FAQ

How do I speed up my compost?

The ratio of carbon and nitrogen, aeration, particle size, and compost moisture determine the speed at which it breaks down. To speed up the composting process, add more greens (nitrogen), make sure your pile has the right amount of moisture, and turn it often.

What materials can I use in my compost bin?

Use browns like leaves and straw with greens like grasses and fruit and vegetable scraps. Mix greens and browns in a 2 to 5 ratio.

How long does it take for compost to be ready?

Composting times vary. It can be as quick as one month or take years. Hot composting is the fastest method.

Can I compost kitchen food waste?

Yes! Add fruit and vegetable peels and coffee grounds to your bin. But skip meat, dairy, and oils unless you are Bokashi composting.

How do I know when my compost is finished?

Mature compost is dark, crumbly, and smells earthy. It should be even, and the original ingredients should be unidentifiable.

What should I do if my compost pile smells bad?

Bad smells mean either it's too wet, not aerated, or contains ingredients that should not be composted. Add brown materials, turn it, and keep it only as damp as a wrung-out sponge.

How do I make compost tea, and what is it used for?

Compost tea is a strong liquid fertilizer made by soaking compost in aerated water for 24-48 hours. This liquid is sprayed on the soil to give plants a quick nutrient boost.

What space do I need for composting at home?

You need just a small spot. A 3x3 feet area is enough.