How To Make Organic Compost for Your Garden | DIY Composting

Are you one of those gardeners who buy organic compost from the garden supply store? With all the waste your kitchen produces you’ll be doing yourself a big favor by making your own homemade organic compost. You can follow this simple and easy composting guide!

Boost Plant Growth With Homemade Organic Compost

Even when I was just a novice at gardening, I knew composting was the only way to deal with our kitchen and garden scraps. Although I had to purchase the first organic compost I used in the garden, I eventually started cooking up my own organic compost. It’s amazing how smelly and gross organic waste can turn into this rich black material that works like magic in my vegetable garden. If you haven’t thought about composting yet, I must tell you, from one gardener to another, that you are missing out on a lot. Grow organically with a homemade organic compost you can DIY with this practical guide.

Let’s Get Started!

Materials For DIY Organic Compost

• 3 30-gallon trash cans with cover
• A drill
• Garden soil
• Kitchen Scraps
• Dried fall leaves
• Left0ver garden plants
• Garden fork
• Garden rake
• A tarp

How To Make A Homemade Organic Compost

Composting is simply the process of breaking down organic matters so the nutrients can easily be absorbed by your plants. While throwing scraps in a compost pile is also composting, this process may take a bit longer. This composting guide allows you to harvest compost in as early as two months. You can check out one of these homemade compost bins or you can follow the steps here for a simple compost bin.

Step 1. Building A Composter

A plastic 30-gallon trash bin with a cover is an ideal and inexpensive compost bin for a homemade compost. These plastic trash bins are not only affordable but sturdy too and you can reuse them.

Drill holes in the bottom and sides of the container using an electric drill for drainage and ventilation. Make sure to drill enough holes for a good air flow in your compost bin.

You can use 2-3 composting bins since this process takes up to six months. That way while one compost bin is processing, you can continue cooking up another batch for a sufficient supply of compost.

Step 2. Adding Organic Compost Materials

A healthy organic compost has 2 parts brown compost material and 1 part green material. Check out which organic compost materials your can use around your both in your home and garden.

Brown Organic Compost Materials

A larger part of the compost mix will compose brown compost materials or carbon source. Your very own garden will provide you with these materials in the dried fallen leaves, dried weeds, and plant parts. You can also find brown compost material in your household with paper and paper-based materials.

Green Compost Materials

An ideal compost will consist a third of green compost. You will have no shortage of green compost materials or nitrogen-rich sources in kitchen scraps. From fruit and vegetable peelings, egg shells, coffee grounds, and other kitchen scraps except for meat, bones, and leftover cooked food.

Garden Scraps And Soil

You can also throw into your compost the plant parts from your last harvest. You may also add the soil from the plant roots with the microorganisms present to help boost the composting process. Adding other microorganisms in earthworms can be very helpful too.

Step 3. Maintaining The Compost Pile

Composting doesn’t end with in piling up compost materials. For the process to work successfully, you will need air, moisture, and activators. Adding the right ratio of green and brown compost materials will help keep your compost moist but you can also give it a watering once in while. Remember to keep it moist, but not wet or soggy. Activators come in a form of organic fertilizers you add to the mixture which will help speed up the composting process.

Mixing Compost Pile Thoroughly

To let oxygen accumulate into your compost, you have to manually mix it up using a garden fork. You can also dump the contents of your compost bin into a tarp and thoroughly mix it with a garden fork or rake. But if you want convenience in mixing your compost pile, you can check this DIY compost bin or tumbler.

Complete Homemade Organic Compost

The composting process takes 2 to 6 months to complete, faster when the temperature is high. You will see a dark and rich end product without any foul smell. You can now use this material to amend your garden soil or directly grow plants in them.

Follow this video for the full guide on how to make organic compost on your own:

Didn’t I tell you DIY composting is that simple and easy? It’s just the waiting part that can be a bit frustrating. But when you know you won’t have to spend a dime again to grow healthy plants with organic garden compost, it really is worth the wait. Next time you find composting a hassle, think about the money you will be saving with homemade organic compost!
How’s your DIY organic compost doing so far? If you’ve got some questions just drop it in the comments below and I’d be glad to help?

Are all you all about organic gardening? Then check these homemade organic fertilizer recipes to boost your plant’s growth naturally!

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in March 2016 and has been updated for quality and relevancy.

Feature image source via Ben Kerckx