DIY compost pile
How it works: The simplest and cheapest approach is to create a compost pile without buying a dedicated composter. You can create a mound, use wire to create an enclosure, or build a wooden pen (PDF).
What you need: To make a compost mound, you don’t need many tools. You need a pitchfork or a shovel to turn and move your pile. And a bucket, wheelbarrow, garden cart, or tarp help you move the compost around. To build your own enclosure, you can use wire, wood, or other materials.
What you’ll get, and when: With a maintained and turned pile, you may have compost within several months. If you don’t turn the pile, you’ll get compost in about a year. With either approach, there will be downtime (a period when you don’t add any new food scraps) while you’re waiting for your compost to finish breaking down and curing. If you want to avoid any downtime, you can choose a new spot and start a second pile.
Things to consider: With a pile, your compost is more visible than it would be in an enclosed container. And since the compost is open to the environment, pests may also try to get into it. Make sure to bury food scraps in the center, and top it with a layer of browns (carbon-rich items such as dead leaves).
Burying your compost
How it works: After collecting a batch of kitchen scraps in a bucket or container, you can simply dig a hole and bury them. The easiest way to do this is to dig a hole about a foot deep, dump in the scraps, and then cover it with 8 inches of soil. The scraps will break down and amend the surrounding soil.
What you need: You just need a shovel to dig your hole.
What you’ll get, and when: With this method, scraps will break down in the ground within several months.
Things to consider: This method is low-maintenance, but it may take longer than an active hot composting method. Plants may also sprout from the scraps in your pile. Linda Brewer, who at the time of our interview was a senior faculty research assistant at Oregon State University’s Department of Horticulture, told us that when she used this method, she found potatoes and carrots growing in her pile.
Enclosed, stationary composters
How it works: These domed composters, also called on-ground composters (PDF), often don’t have a bottom, so they sit right on top of the dirt, and they keep scraps out of sight. As you add scraps to your pile, the lower layers will decay faster. Some enclosed composters have doors at the base to let you harvest finished compost. Alternatively, to harvest compost after it has finished curing, on some units you can remove the entire dome and move the compost where you want it. You can use these composters for active or passive composting. For active composting, you need to turn the compost with a pitchfork or shovel. For passive composting, you don’t need to do that; you simply layer your browns and greens (nitrogen-rich items like food scraps) and let them decompose. We like the generously sized Redmon Green Culture 65-Gallon Compost Bin for passive composting, but there are many to choose from.
What you need: Use a pitchfork or shovel to help mix or harvest compost. A wheelbarrow or garden cart can help you move it around. You may want to use a compost sifter (which you can buy or make) to shake finished compost onto a tarp below, and then add larger scraps back into your pile.
What you’ll get, and when: With a maintained and turned pile, you may have compost within several months. If you use a passive method and don’t turn the pile, you’ll get compost in about a year. With either approach, if you have only one pile, you will have downtime while you’re waiting for your compost to finish breaking down and curing. If you’re using a passive approach and prefer not having any downtime, you can choose to continue adding new food scraps on top. Eventually, finished compost will be at the bottom of your bin. Many of these on-ground composters have latched doors at the bottom of the dome; these allow you to harvest the compost while leaving the scraps on top to continue decomposing.
Things to consider: Pests can burrow underground to get into your pile. Brewer told us that putting a layer of wire at the bottom can help deter them.
Tumblers
How it works: These enclosed, above-ground barrels can stand alone in areas without dirt (like on a roof or a deck), and they keep scraps out of sight. Most have a handle you can crank to turn your compost. The experts we spoke with said that adding compost to tumblers in batches—which involves making a load of compost all at once, and then giving it time to break down—can be more efficient, since the large mass helps the scraps heat up and decompose faster. That said, you can choose to add scraps as you go; just be prepared for it to take a bit longer. For active batch composting, turn your tumbler about every three to four days. Or, if you decide to go with a more-continual approach, turn it whenever you add your scraps.
What you need: A wheelbarrow or garden cart, as well as a pitchfork or shovel, can help when you’re harvesting or transporting your compost. You may want to sift compost with a wire screen onto a tarp below and add larger scraps back into your pile.
What you’ll get, and when: The timeline varies, but with a maintained and turned pile, you may have compost within several months. The experts we spoke with said it generally takes longer to produce compost using a tumbler compared with other pile methods.
Things to consider: Turning compost with a crank may work for some and not for others. If you can’t bend or lift, it may be a good option, but the compost inside a tumbler can get heavy.
These enclosed composters aren’t as open to air, so the compost can get moist; you may need to balance your pile with extra browns (carbon-rich items like dead leaves). If you don’t have grass or yard space, this option can work on a concrete surface, but Brewer advised checking to make sure your tumbler doesn’t start leaking over time.
Three-bin system
How it works: Usually these bins are wooden structures that each contain a compost pile in a different phase of breaking down: You add your scraps to the first pile, let them break down in the second, and then move the batch into the third bin for curing (or decaying until it’s ready to use). Most composting guidance (PDF) recommends that these containers each measure 3 by 3 by 3 feet, or a cubic yard. This large size should produce enough heat to break down scraps.
What you need: This method requires materials like plywood, cinder blocks, or wire to cordon off three sections for the three stages of your compost piles, and you need tools or building materials to construct your bins. A pitchfork or shovel can help you mix or harvest compost. A bucket, wheelbarrow, garden cart, or tarp can help you move it around.
What you’ll get, and when: The length of the process varies, but with a maintained and turned pile, you may have compost within several months.
Things to consider: This system ensures there’s no downtime in your composting. Since you’re essentially making three piles, you should consider the extra space this system may require (if you’re doing the 3-by-3-by-3-foot construction, you need a spot that’s about 9 feet long and 3 feet wide). This setup is best for composting large amounts of waste (like if you’re working with a school or in a community garden, or if you generate a lot of yard debris and kitchen scraps yourself).
