Composting is a great way to put your kitchen scraps and garden waste to good use. It’s also a great way to save money on fertilizer and help the environment by reducing landfill waste.
But if you’re not sure how to get started on composting or just don’t have time for it, here are 11 tips that will kickstart your compost pile into gear!
| Key Takeaways |
|---|
| Importance of Accelerating Compost |
| Factors affecting Composting process |
| Fastest ways to accelerate Composting |
| Common mistakes to avoid in Composting |
| The benefits of composting |
Shred Everything
When it comes to composting, the more shredded your materials are, the faster you’ll be able to use them in your garden. This is because a finely shredded material will decompose faster than a bulky one.
Plus, shredding makes adding new items to your pile easier and less labor intensive. If you aren’t sure how much to shred your materials down into, we recommend keeping it as small as possible so that they can be easily incorporated into your compost pile or applied directly onto soil surfaces (no need to turn).
If you’re just starting out composting or have never used an electric compost shredder before this guide offers some helpful tips on what models we think are worth looking at depending on what kind of budget and needs you might have:
- Best Electric Compost Shredders For New Users
- Best Electric Compost Shredders For Serious Gardeners
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Use Vegetable And Fruit Peels
You can use vegetable and fruit peels to accelerate the composting process. Peels contain lots of nutrients and fiber, so they’re great for your garden. They also make compost tea, which you can spray on plants to improve growth and health.
To get started, place your peels in a bucket or container that has holes for draining. Cover them with water, and let them sit for about three days before adding them to your compost pile or bin. If you want to skip this step entirely, just toss cut up pieces into the bin directly instead!
Composting with Vegetable and Fruit Peels
| Benefits | How to Use |
|---|---|
| Contains essential nutrients and fiber | Add peels to your compost bin or pile |
| Makes nutrient-rich compost tea | Steep peels in water for a few days to make compost tea that can be sprayed on plants |
| Reduces food waste and landfill waste | Use peels instead of throwing them away |
| Can attract beneficial insects | Peels can attract earthworms and other beneficial insects that help break down the compost |
Buy Or Make A Compost Tumbler
If you have enough space, a compost tumbler is a great way to make compost. It’s easy to use and clean, and can be made at home or purchased ready-made.
You can also make one from recycled materials in your area (check with local community centers and schools).
A compost tumbler is made up of two large containers that rotate around an axle on which they are mounted.
The larger container holds soil and the smaller one contains shredded organic materials. As these rotate around their axle, the contents of each container merge together into an ideal environment for bacteria that break down organic matter into usable fertilizer for your garden or lawn.
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Add Blood Meal, Bone Meal, And Crushed Eggshells
You can add blood meal, bone meal, and crushed eggshells to your compost pile. These are all nitrogen-rich fertilizers that will help speed up the decomposition process of your pile.
Bone meal is also a good source of phosphorus, which helps plants stay healthy by strengthening cell walls and aiding photosynthesis.
Blood meal adds nitrogen to your soil as well as other nutrients such as iron and potassium. Eggshells contain calcium carbonate (the same substance found in seashells) that’s useful for plants since it helps strengthen their cell walls so they’re less susceptible to pests or diseases..
Bury Kitchen Scraps In The Garden
Bury kitchen scraps in the garden. It’s a common misconception that you can’t tuck food scraps into the ground because it will attract pests, but this is not true.
You just need to bury them deep enough so that animals can’t dig them up and eat them. You can also bury your yard waste (grass clippings and such) with your kitchen scraps to help keep insects away from your plants.
Add grass clippings to compost pile. Grass clippings are great for adding nutrients back into your soil, especially nitrogen! Just make sure they’re chopped up well so they don’t take forever to break down in the pile, or else you might end up with smelly results instead of a healthy garden bed ready for planting soon after turning over!
Use a compost tumbler if possible; otherwise add some dirt when turning over smaller piles regularly using either method above so more oxygen gets into both ends of each cubic foot where bacteria has been working hard all winter long digesting all those items added before winter set in like leaves/twigs etc…
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Make Compost Tea
A great way to improve your garden’s health is by adding compost tea. To make it, simply add water to your compost pile and add a few cups of the fermented tea. Let it sit for a few days before using the tea as fertilizer.
Making and Using Compost Tea
| Benefits | How to Make |
|---|---|
| Provides plants with nutrients and increases soil fertility | Add finished compost to water in a 5 gallon bucket, let it steep for a few days |
| Improves soil structure, water retention, and growth of beneficial bacteria and fungi | Remove water and strain the solids, dilute the tea and use as fertilizer |
| Aids in the suppression of plant diseases and pests | Apply with a hose-end sprayer or watering can to soil around plants |
| Can be used as a natural leaf nutrient spray | Apply the tea directly to plant leaves to boost their nutrient intake |
| Minimizes waste | Reuse compost by brewing it into a tea instead of throwing it away |
Aerate Your Pile Often
Aerating helps to ensure that your compost pile is breaking down at a steady pace. To aerate, use either a garden fork or pitchfork, and go through the pile in sections. Move the soil around as you go so it all gets mixed together.
You’ll want to do this on a regular basis; once every two weeks is good enough if you’re using only kitchen scraps or biodegradable paper products but any more frequently than that can be done if desired.
The best way to know how often you should aerate is by checking the consistency of your compost pile each time you turn it over. If it’s nice and crumbly but not too dry (and has no bad odors), then there’s no need for further attention!
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Add Some Dirt To The Mix
If your pile isn’t turning over quickly enough, or if you’re having trouble getting a good mix of ingredients, adding some dirt to the mix can help.
Dirt will add nutrients and help balance out the pile’s pH levels, which can help speed things along. But it’s important not to add too much soi if you do, it could slow down the composting process altogether.
You can add dirt at any time during your composting process just be sure that you don’t use any diseased plants in your garden scraps!
Add Grass Clippings To Compost Pile
For those of us who have lawns, grass clippings are a fantastic way to add nitrogen to your compost. The other great thing about grass clipping composting is that it’s so easy! Just throw them straight into your pile and let them break down.
If you need more help with how to make compost, check out this post where we talk about the different types of materials you can use.
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Start A Bokashi Bin
Bokashi is a Japanese term for fermented organic matter, which is also known as compost tea. It’s the same concept as composting you add nitrogen-rich foods such as vegetable scraps and fruit rinds to your bin and let nature do its thing.
The difference is that instead of creating an oxygen-free environment for bacteria to break down the food in an aerobic process (the way traditional compost does), you’re adding microorganisms that will convert carbohydrates into alcohol or organic acids in an anaerobic process called fermentation.
These bacteria are called lactic acid bacteria, so if you’re worried about smelling like pickles every time you tend your garden, don’t fret! They emit a pleasant aroma similar to yogurt or vinegar when active.
Bokashi bins are basically buckets with holes drilled through them into which you can place your scraps on top of shredded newspaper or brown paper bags full of bran cereal (it acts as both a source of fiber and food).
This creates layers: first one with unprocessed waste plus microorganisms; then another with processed waste plus beneficial microbes; finally, third layer with beneficial microbes only (they’ll stay alive here).
Each layer provides nutrients for next batch until all liquid has been absorbed by plants through capillary action no need for watering once they’re established!
Add Stinging Nettle To Your Pile For Nitrogen
If you’re looking to speed up the composting process, stinging nettle is the plant to add. Known for its ability to break down nitrogen, this weed-like perennial is an excellent source of nutrients that will feed your plants and help them grow faster.
Stinging nettles can be found in most forests or wooded areas across North America. They grow as tall as six feet with long stems and small purple-green leaves.
In springtime, they produce bright yellow flowers that look like bristles on their stalks; these are what give them their name (stinging refers to the feeling when touching any part of this plant).
The best time to collect stinging nettles is in early spring before they start producing seeds collect only from moist locations where there’s plenty of sunlight so that growth will be optimal once transplanted back into your garden bed!
Conclusion
Composting is a great way to keep your garden healthy and happy. It not only provides you with fertilizer, but also helps to reduce your waste by using it on the plants rather than throwing away food scraps that could be composted!
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources for learning how to speed up composting:
Compost Magazine offers useful tips from industry experts on accelerating the composting process.
Outdoor Happens provides information on how to create the ideal compost environment for faster decomposition.
Arboretum offers practical advice on how to speed up the composting process to achieve rich, healthy soil quickly.
FAQs
What is Composting?
Composting is a natural process of organic matter decomposition that results in humus-rich soil. It is a sustainable method of creating nutrient-rich soil that can be used in gardening and farming.
How long does it take to create compost?
The process of creating compost varies depending on the method used and the conditions, but generally takes around 2-6 months.
How can I accelerate the composting process?
There are many ways to speed up composting, such as maintaining the ideal moisture and temperature levels, adding compost accelerators or activators, shredding the organic matter, and aerating the compost pile.
What materials can I use for composting?
You can use a variety of organic matter for composting, including kitchen scraps, leaves, grass clippings, manure, and other plant-based materials.
Can I compost meat and dairy products?
It is not recommended to compost meat and dairy products as they can attract pests and release unpleasant odors.
Hi! My name is Hellen James, and I’m here to help you with your home-maintenance needs. Whether it’s building a better yard or just trying to fix a garden—I can show you how.
