Ashleigh Smith
You hear time and time again that you should be saving your food scraps and feeding your garden with recycled organic material (compost). Why would you want to do this? Because it adds valuable nutrients back into your soil, increases moisture retention, and reduces waste.
Composting does not have to be difficult or take up a lot of space. Simply add everyday food waste, plant materials, or other compostable materials to a container. With the help of soil microorganisms, organic matter (once living material) is decomposed into a form usable by plants and soils. Earthworms play an important role in this process, but can also be used for quick benefits in the garden for those who want to forgo the compost bins. Follow along for details on how to use worms and compost in gardens of all sizes.
Composting For Traditional Backyard Gardens
To build a compost bin, start with a layer of twigs, straw, cardboard, etc., to provide drainage. Then, add layers of dry and moist materials. Be sure to include nitrogen-rich materials such as grass clippings, clover, and wheatgrass to activate the compost pile. Keep your container covered to retain moisture and heat. Trapping heat can help your compost to process more quickly, but be careful not to kill your beneficial microbes. Turn your pile every few weeks to aerate, allowing oxygen to feed your active micro-organisms and prevent overheating. Additional materials can be added and mixed in over time. This method is recommended for large in-ground or raised bed gardens.
What Goes Into A Compost Bin?
Appropriate materials include disease-free yard waste like grass clippings, leaves, twigs, natural wood ash, and vegetarian animal manure. Composting these materials allows their nutrients to benefit your garden. If placed on your soil without composting first, they may rob your current crops of nutrients during the decomposition process. From the kitchen, you can add food scraps and discards from preparing meals, coffee grounds, bag-less tea leaves, and houseplants. Include other organic materials such as black and white newspaper, cardboard, or printing paper.
Avoid adding non-vegetarian manure, such as from dogs or cats. Manure from these sources can contain harmful bacteria and contaminants. Also, avoid any noxious weeds, pesticide-treated plant material, diseased yard waste, food scraps with animal products, and large amounts of citrus peels and onion discards. Noxious weeds and plant diseases may continue to spread with even a small amount of plant material. Animal products, such as meat cuttings, should be avoided as they can attract pests or animals that will disrupt your garden or compost bins.
How To Compost in Small Gardens
Many people believe they need to have a large garden to start composting. Really anyone from patio, container, or in-ground home gardeners can start their own compost piles and reap the benefits it has to offer. For those working with limited space, try using the bucket method, worm castings, or worm tea. Each of these methods will allow you to add nutrients back into your soil, increase organic matter, and promote healthy soils.
How To Compost In A Bucket
For the bucket method, all you need is a 5-gallon and your organic products. Fill it as you would any other container by layering your dry and moist materials until the bucket is full. After only a couple of days, you should notice the level of materials decrease. This happens as water leaves the plant material or food waste. Be sure to keep your compost bin moist, but not too wet. Because the plastic bucket can trap any released water, you may need to drain some excess. Add more materials as decomposition takes place in the bucket. Either mix by rolling the bucket or using a small tool. One of the best things about using a 5-gallon bucket for composting is being able to keep a lid on it, preventing pests from getting into your bin. Keep it right on your patio or balcony for easy use.
How To Use Worm Castings In the Garden
If you want the benefits of compost without managing a bin or bucket, try worm castings. Worm castings are the product of materials being broken down (composted) by earthworms. The castings store and slowly release nutrients into the soil. In addition to their valuable nutrients, worm castings host a plethora of beneficial microorganisms that enable plants to access the nutrients stored in soils. You may want to consider adding worm castings to your soil as they can also suppress damping-off in seedlings and new transplants. Adding worm castings is as easy as spreading potting soil. Add a bag or two to your garden bed, a handful to potted plants, or apply a worm tea.
How To Make Worm Casting Tea
To do this, soak a sack of worm castings in water. Ideally, I like to use a bucket for this as it is easy to pour throughout the garden. Start by adding about 4 cups of worm castings to a cheesecloth. Allow to steep overnight in about 2 gallons of water. If you are working in a large garden, you may want to double these measurements or consider preparing several buckets. For patio and balcony gardens, one batch should be sufficient. Unlike traditional composting methods, worm tea is odorless and quickly increases the quality of your harvest. Where the composting process can take weeks and months to achieve a usable product, worm tea can be used after only one day. Protect your gardens from pests like aphids, white flies, and mites with the natural benefits worm castings have to offer.
Start Composting Anytime
Don’t wait to get started, you can start your compost pile right now with the cooling weather. While heat helps the composting process happen more quickly, you can still reap the benefits of a beautiful bucket full of compost that will be ready in time for spring planting. Recycle organic waste all winter long, spread worm castings, or brew some worm tea. Start the coming spring off right with good drainage, rich nutrients, and less waste going to the landfills.
Other Compost-Friendly Garden Materials:
- True Micro Tray
- Minute Soil - Fast
- OMRI Potting Soil - Fast
- Biostrate Felt - Slow
- Micro Mat - Fast
- Micro Mat Confetti - Fast
- Jute Fiber - Slow
- Bamboo Fiber Mat - Slow
- Coco Fiber Mats - Slow
- Coco Fiber Pots - Slow
About the Author
I'm Ashleigh Smith, a native to Northern Utah. I first gained a love of gardening with my grandmother as I helped her each summer. I decided to make a career of it and have recently graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Horticulture from Brigham Young University - Idaho. My studies have focused on plant production while I also have experience in Nursery & Garden Center Operations.
Become a True Leaf Market Brand Ambassador! You’ll enjoy awesome perks, free products and exclusive swag & offers! Help us create a gardening revolution and help others experience the joy of growing!
Leave a comment
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
7 comments
Rachel
I love compost for the garden! I use grass clippings as mulch-keeps the weeds down for a season, draws worms, and breaks down in amazing compost while in place. For especially weedy areas I love sheet cardboard. Cover with a layer or 2 of sheet cardboard and grass clippings and it’s amazing how much rich black soil is created.
Marilyn
I have never done composting because I live in an apartment and don’t have personal lawn/yard space. I never thought about using just a regular 5 gallon bucket. I’ll definitely be utilizing this idea so I can add composting into my small spaces gardening adventures :)
Milan Turner
I started composting for the first time this year. Fortunately, I have enough room for an in-bed worm compost system. The bucket is a great idea for those with smaller spaces.
Marisa Snyder
Thank you for the composting article. I’ve been trying to get my compost just right and see what I can now improve upon.
Lara Fabans
I was trying to compost a lot of things but wasn’t good at turning. I went out once and found four juvenile raccoons hanging out like my compost bin was a hot tub. They were adorable. I was much more on top of things after that.
Jennifer Imes
Thank you for sharing this! Composting is one part of homesteading that I have not dabbled into yet. For some reason its always felt intimidating to me! I will definitely be planning to implement this for the upcoming garden season!
Katherine Ryan
I am pretty new to gardening, this helps a lot, thanks!!
Further Reading
Lara's 2024 Garden in Review
Written By Lara Wadsworth This year was only my third year having a garden to myself. Growing up, I gardened alongside my mother and grandmother, but after leaving home, I lived in apartments for many years without much space for a garden. I finally go...
Ashleigh Smith
2024-12-0313 min read0Cultivating Christmas Traditions
Written By Lara Wadsworth The phrase “Christmas time is here!” will soon echo through your speakers and messaging all around. Most American families, regardless of religion, seem to be celebrating this massive holiday in one way or another. Some may fo...
Ashleigh Smith
2024-11-268 min read0Giving Tuesday: Turning Gratitude Into Action
There are a million ways to make the world better. But nothing can happen without action. The best way to make a difference is to start serving, donating, and seeing the people who are within your reach. Big, honorable stories often begin with someone ...
Ashleigh Smith
2024-11-193 min read1Giving Thanks: The Origins and Traditions of Thanksgiving
Written By Lara Wadsworth One of the most quintessential American holidays is Thanksgiving. With families gathered together, sharing copious amounts of food, and many groups watching either football or televised parades, it is hard to see the true orig...
Ashleigh Smith
2024-11-158 min read1