We all know by now that eating locally and buying organic is the way to go - but even fair trade coffee produces waste that we toss into the garbage. Starting your own compost pile is a natural way to recycle that waste into something your garden will love.

When I was a kid, living in Alabama, my parents kept a compost pile at the far end of our back yard. Instead of taking out the trash (like normal kids), I carried our organic waste to the compost pile.

I didn't know it at the time, but composting is an environmentally-beneficial way of recycling much of the waste we humans produce on a daily basis. Not only does it reduce the amount of waste we send to landfills, but it also provides a wonderful garden additive that provides a plethora of healthy nutrients to the soil and live plants.

The Basics of Composting

Anybody can start a compost pile without spending a lot of money. But the opportunities for composting range from do-it-yourself piles to commercially built worm-assisted bins.

Compost is the end product of a complex feeding pattern involving many different organisms such as worms, insects, bacteria, and fungi. The end product is a brown, earthy, nutrient-rich substance that is found in every forest, jungle, grassland and garden on earth. Building your own compost pile will organize and hasten Mother Nature's composting process and allow you to use this earthy gold as you please.

Step 1: Build Your Compost Bin
To start your compost pile you need an outdoor area to store the organic waste. For the typical residential composter, a single cubic meter of space will suffice; but you may desire more space depending on how much matter you plan on adding. A shady location is generally best since maintaining a constant level of light moisture in the pile is essential for microbial activity. And since compost does not usually smell like fresh roses, you may wish to keep it at a distance from your house or frequently used areas.

The bin itself can be constructed on your own from materials you already have access to - with few limitations. Used pallets, scrap lumber, old fence boards or even chicken wire will provide a sound enclosure for a home-made compost bin. Steer clear of treated lumber (the green stuff) because it contains chemicals (thus the term "treated") that are harmful to organic matter – using treated lumber is synonymous with spraying an organic crop with pesticide.

Make sure your bin has at least one side that allows for easy access to the compost pile. This allows you to "turn" the pile with a shovel or pitchfork.

Step 2: Begin Adding Organic Matter
Once you realize how many types of everyday waste can be composted, your pile will grow in no time! Start by adding this week's grass clippings, or the leaves you had the kids rake up on Saturday. Throw in your daily coffee grounds, egg shells and banana peels, and voila! – you have a compost pile.

A simple list of what to compost and what NOT to compost will get you started, but do some more research to discover how vast your pile can become.

What to compost: grass clippings (the ones you don't grasscycle), chopped leaves, straw/hay, fruit and vegetable peels/rinds, coffee grounds, egg shells, tea leaves/bags, shredded paper, weeds and dead plants (be sure they don't have live seeds)

What NOT to compost: meat scraps and other fatty trash, sawdust, human and pet waste, diseased plants, chemically-treated wood products, pernicious weeds

Two great practices to use from the start are to keep the pile mixed and moist. Avoid adding large amounts of grass clippings or leaves at one time. This matter can easily clump and get matted, preventing the pile from being well ventilated. Keep the pile moist – not too wet and not too dry – in order to provide the most beneficial environment for the organisms to do their stuff. A warm pile is a sign that the organisms are hard at work.

Step 3: Turn and Deliver
Since the organisms that decompose the material are aerobic – meaning they need lots of oxygen to thrive – it is important to turn your pile at least once every other week. Using a standard pitchfork or shovel, you want to mix the pile so that the material that is on the inside of the pile is brought to the outside and the material on the outside is moved to the inside. This will simply ensure that the entire pile is given a chance to decompose.

Once the compost looks dark brown, feels crumbly (you might have to get your hands dirty), and smells earthy, it is ready to use in your garden. Spread a layer of compost up to one inch thick in garden beds – and the finished compost will aid in air and water absorption, water drainage, and nutrient enrichment. The benefits of compost will really show in flower, herb and vegetable gardening.

For more information, check out these sites:

• Compost Guide
  
• EPA: Composting
  
• Wikipedia: Composting
  
• How to Compost

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Ingredients:

• Composting bin
• Worms (optional)
• Organic waste
• Shovel or pitchfork

Caring Time:

• 60 Minutes

Cost:

• About $25

Results:

• Trash kept out of landfills
• Best soil nutrients money can't buy
• Healthier earth