How to Make Organic Compost: Ingredients, Ratios, Maintenance & Troubleshooting

Compost transforms waste into garden gold. Master the basics; refine with experience.

What to Compost (The "Yes" List)

Greens (Nitrogen): fruit/veg scraps, coffee grounds/filters, tea bags, grass clippings, fresh weeds (no seeds), herbivore manure, plant trimmings.
Browns (Carbon): dry leaves, straw, shredded newspaper/cardboard, sawdust (untreated), wood chips, pine needles, corn stalks.

What to Avoid (The "No" List)

Meat, fish, dairy, oils, cooked food, pet waste, diseased plants, seeded weeds, glossy/coated paper, charcoal ash, invasive plants. They attract pests, smell, or persist.

Build & Maintain

1. Layer: 4–6" browns, 2–3" greens, sprinkle soil/compost starter. Repeat.
2. Moisten: damp as wrung sponge.
3. Turn weekly with fork—introduces oxygen, mixes, checks moisture.
4. In 8–12 weeks: dark, crumbly, earthy. Screen if desired.

Troubleshoot

• Smelly → too wet, not enough browns, no air. Turn, add browns.
• Not heating → too dry, too small, not enough greens. Water, add greens, insulate.
• Pests → bury food deeper, avoid "no" list, secure bin.

Use It

Top-dress beds (1–2"), blend into potting mix (1/3), brew compost tea, mulch around plants. Perpetual cycle.