From the Garden

• The garden has many composting ingredients. Add green matter extracted from the soil during tilling \to the compost pile. When thinning plants, throw the waste into the compost bin. If a vegetable or fruit does not develop properly, toss it on the compost pile. When a plant is spent, pull it up and add it to the compost heap. At the end of the gardening season, pull and compost all green matter before putting the garden plot to bed for the winter.
  
  

From the Lawn

• Lawns create a lot of substance for the compost bin. Raking in early spring aerates the soil and provides dead grasses for the pile. During the growing season, raked or bagged grass clippings added to the compost heap increases the compost's nitrogen component. When fall rolls around, add spent leaves to the mix. They decompose during the winter months, creating rich, brown mulch enhancing the garden area or flowerbed.
  
  

From the Kitchen

• Kitchen waste provides a constant source of components for the compost pile. Find free compost pile ingredients in the coffee maker, where depleted grounds and the filter add moisture and substance to the compost area. Don't forget the tea bags. Add eggshells to the mulch pile. When cleaning produce, put all the peelings and seeds in the mulch bin. Avoid meat, bones and dairy products, as these ingredients may attract the neighborhood dog or cat, rodents, raccoons and opossum.
  
  

Composting Methods

• Cold composting is the easiest method. Find a corner of the lot close to the garden and pile on the raw materials. Turn the ingredients with a pitchfork to assist with the breakdown of the pile. Another technique is pit composting. Dig a hole where soil needs improvement, pile in waste products, cover the hole and wait for decomposition, which creates a rich planting medium in the area of the excavation. Hot composting speeds the decomposition process, but requires tending including turning the compost pile at least once a week; paying attention to the balance of brown and green materials, ideally three parts green matter such as grass clippings and kitchen waste to one part brown material like autumn leaves and twigs; and watering when nature does not provide rain to keep the pile moist and actively decomposing.