How to Compost 101 - Beginner's Guide for Composting at Home!

You can compost to reduce your food waste, have a place to put yard scraps, or create super nutritious soil for your garden. Starting a compost pile can feel overwhelming. Elaina shares tips for getting started including the set-up of your pile and what materials you can & can't put it it! She talks about different types of bins for different needs. For example, anyone who lives in a city can purchase a worm compost kit which requires little space but is a great option for reducing food waste! She also answers some frequently asked "Can I compost questions" starting at 4:19 in the video.

About Us: We are Alex and Elaina, a couple in our mid 20s who are currently living on the 3-acre farm in southern Pennsylvania where Alex grew up. We have a garden, backyard chickens, and build or fix anything that we need to. We still work corporate day jobs, but are working to eventually leave the 9-5 lifestyle in favor of a self-built, debt-free, homestead on 6 acres nearby.
Something that differentiates us from other channels is our transparency on the cost of our projects - there is usually a breakdown right in the description!

We upload a YouTube video every Saturday night at 7pm EST, and post daily on Instagram and Facebook @masondixonacres!

[annettehough]

Great information Elaina! You are doing a great job educating us.

[mayshomesteadchronicles]

Awesome! Love composting! Been doin traditional composting (aka cold Composting) but just started a hot pile recently. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I do wormcomposting and love it!

[lightindarkness]

Hi I recently started composting in my garden and just had a question. I’ve been gathering my kitchen scraps separately so I can add to the bin later when I have enough. (My bin is 3ft high) Should I be adding to the bin everyday or can I wait until I have a large pile? I put in the brown materials first. I just don’t have enough green materials yet.

[ErnieHatmaker]

We've had to move our compost heap...too many critters. Lol!

[sarinhthach]

I tried to start my compost..even bought a compost bin..so hard work and I get nothing out of that bin until today..I guess I miss something and not do it right some where or just to lazy. Home compost is be best though for all the plants and fruit trees. Wish I have energy to do my own compost.

[paularipepi]

Oh my ... didn’t think about animals coming around the compost😳

[mauricebrown]

Composting does not control food waste from the kitchen. Your either a wasteful person or not. As for those large branches you could begin a Hugelkultur growing bed.