How To Compost at Home | Ask This Old House

In this video, This Old House landscape contractor Jenn Nawada explains why she loves composting and how to do it at home.

Landscape contractor Jenn Nawada shows host Kevin O’Connor what he needs to know to start composting at home. Jenn shows Kevin how to make nutrient-rich, organic compost to feed a garden and create a better yield by starting with basic ingredients like leaves, food waste, water, and air. She even breaks the proper ratio down and shows Kevin a handy bin that makes the job easier.

Composting is a Multi-Part Process
Composting is breaking down organic materials with the presence of air and water. There are also tiny microorganisms, bacteria, fungi, and insects involved to help break things down. Whether composting is occurring in the wild or a backyard, all of these ingredients have a role to play.

Composting is Full of Benefits
There are a lot of reasons to start a compost pile. For one, compost strengthens the soil and provides plants with the nutrients they need to grow strong and resist disease. Also, composting reduces waste in landfills, as the typical landfill contains up to 30 percent of food waste.

There is a Formula to Follow
"Greens, browns, air, and water" are what it takes to start a successful compost pile at home. Greens include food waste from vegetables and fruits, and they provide the nitrogen, bacteria, and microorganisms required to start composting. Browns include the leaves and twigs that provide carbon. Air is necessary for all living things, which the compost pile becomes, and water to keep things moist for the microorganisms, bacteria, and insects.

Follow a ratio of 3:1 browns to green, and keep the pile moist like a well-rung sponge.

Layer Ingredients like a Lasagna
When starting, it's best to layer ingredients like lasagna. Following the 3:1 ratio, place a bed of browns approximately 3 inches deep on top of a 1-inch-thick pile of greens. Add a bit of soil, and don't be afraid to shred the leaves a bit first.

Spray a bit of water between the layers and let the pile sit for 3 to 4 days. After a few days, add air by flipping the pile with a fork or shovel. You'll know when composting begins because the pile will emit warmth while flipping it over.

A Compost Bin Will Simplify the Process
A compost bin will speed up the process, as it contains heat, moisture, and bacteria, allowing the breakdown to occur faster. Also, most actual bins have doors at their bottom that will enable the user to remove the rich composted soil at the bottom without disturbing the composting process occurring at the top.

What Can (and Can't) Go in a Compost Pile
Certain things can and can't go into a compost pile. First, any fruit, vegetables, nuts, coffee and coffee filters, tee bags, and eggshells are perfect for a compost pile. Just be sure that any egg cartons and other containers are biodegradable and safe.

Organic items only! Don't put any types of meat, dairy products, or fatty oils into the compost pile. These will cause odors and attract critters. Also, don't put any plants in a pile sprayed with insecticide or plant poison.

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How To Compost at Home | Ask This Old House

[iguesi]

Although coffee is "brown" is has nitrogen (green) for the purposes of composting. Grass is another green and many of your spent garden plants and flowers can be placed in the pile, as well.

[grantguy]

Brian is very excited on this subject. 😂

[karlhungus]

I use 3 of the elevated tumbler black plastic composters from Costco and they are fantastic. I've had them 13 years now and they still work like new, are easy to fill, work fast because they get so hot, and are up off the ground.

[MonroviaPlants]

Always love great info about creating healthy soil -- this is (black) gold!

[offgridgardendiy]

Love This Old House, been watching since it first started

[SoniaBDorsey]

Where would I source the compost bin you show in your video? Great content!

[zachrawlings]

Love yalls input of perspective about Everything! Would love to see more about composting and worm farms and edible landscapes!!! We have trash and recycling services- why not neighborhood compost? Come to Stillwater, OK! ((:::

[katiestewart]

Can I compost any materials used in construction or demolition? Hate to send it all to the landfill.

[FKSPARTO]

i have never turned my compost ever and it is still good.

[sttigertiger]

Excluding meat and bones from the compost squanders valuable minerals for the soil - phosphorus, iron, etc.

[nickduggan]

Even easier. Get composting worms and throw in a container with good drainage. Fill with material and keep covered with leaves, cardboard or other "browns". Way better than regular compost and breaks down way faster with no work.

[YZBot]

How do you manage that throughout the year? In the summer, 95%+ of my green is going to be grass, and all my brown is going to be soggy leaves from last fall. Don't usually have anything coming out of the garden until later in the season. My grass and leaves compost works, but it takes pretty much all season.

[davidalearmonth]

I'm lazy. I just keep dumping food scraps in without much of anything else or any turning. It eventually disappears.

[sharpshooter]

Ya like Kevin's gonna use his hands to break the leaves lol

[brianschiff]

Why is there an alligator head on the wall?

[donc-m]

twigs don't compost in a few months. i 'leave' them out.

[boedillard]

Might want to mention it can actually catch on fire so it should be kept seperate from that leaf pile in the back of your yard.

[MrJay]

I thought anything citrus related is not good to put in the compost?

[brunomadrigal]

Am I dumb or they didn't actually say much about composting? They didn't explain how to know when is ready also didn't explain how to add more food scraps or anything practical in the use of a compost bin.

[mikesvwcorrado]

And remove the stickers from your fruits and vegetables before tossing them in there.