What makes a compost heap?

Question

If I just throw lawn clippings and fruit remains in it will it work?

Answer 1

You can pile organic matter in a pile and let nature take its course, however, this technique takes a long time. If you wish to speed up the process you need two things. Water and air. The water and air is for the bacteria and fungus to aerobic (in the presence of oxygen) break down the organic matter. I use material like chicken wire to make a large ring (3-4 feet in diameter) and simply dump the organic matter in them. Periodically, I water it (once every 1-2 weeks) and turn it (once every 1-2 weeks) and within 3-6 months it has broken down enough to use. Commercial composters are nice, but I find them to be too small. I have 3-5 piles going at one time. Hope it helps.

Answer 2

Reckon all the above answers are helpful..but I've found you need a good balance of carbon to nitrogenous stuff to get good temperature up for decomposing and to stop flies and sludge. You find carbon from adding small chopped brown garden waste like twigs and torn up cardboard and newspaper. Grass cuttings are a good example of the nitrogenous and on their own become nothing but slim sludge! An occasional wee poured into the whole mix makes it all work more quickly too!
So maintain a damp, good mix and stir occasionally and you'll end up with gorgeous, compost that will enrich and improve your soil.

Answer 3

No, not really... Well, eventually it will decompose but if you want an effective compost heap that you can use this season, you need to balance carbon (browns) with nitrogen (greens) with oxygen and water.

So, newspapers, brown paper bags, straw, dead leaves, for ex., are all high in carbon. They need to be mixed with kitchen scraps, grass clippings, coffee grounds, which are high in nitrogen. Then aerated, or stirred up often and watered to keep moist, not soaked.

And no, you do not need to add soil to the layers. It will only make your pile more difficult to turn. The pile needs to be at least 3' high by 3' wide, to heat up effectively. It has to heat up three times before it is ready for your garden...

Answer 4

Compost is the aerobically decomposed remnants of organic materials (those with plant and animal origins). Compost is used in gardening and agriculture as a soil amendment, and commercially by the landscaping and container nursery industries. It is also used for erosion control, land/stream reclamation, wetland construction, and as landfill cover (see compost uses). Compost is also used as a seed starting medium generally mixed with a small portion of sand for improved drainage.

Given enough time, all biodegradable material will compost. However, not all compost feedstocks are appropriate for backyard composting. Most backyard systems will not reach high enough temperatures to kill pathogens or deter vermin, so pet droppings, non-vegetarian animal manure, scraps of meat, and dairy products are best left to operators of high-rate, thermophylic composting systems.

Compost types and ingredients

Biodegradable waste
Coffee grounds
Compost tea
Effective Microorganisms
Green waste
Humanure
Humus
Leaf mold
Mulch
Spent mushroom compost
Worm compost

Excerpts above from source below...we built a double bin compost area of old, discarded pallets left over from a landscaping project. They are often available for the asking or a modest price at newspaper publishers. We used L brackets and hinges to connect the sides to the backs and fronts. The reason for two of them is to provide a place to "turn the compost". We grew tired of it and just opted to wait for the compost to happen slowly...over time.

See the source below for additional information and links...

Answer 5

pretty much, make sure u put it in some sort of container though so it wont repeatidly dry out. outdoor wooden boxes work good. and every now and then take your old compost and put it some where els. dont keep putting new stuff on top...and do it far away from your house...

Answer 6

Edit...
Forgot to answer the question
YES!
............................
Browns
Greens
Yellows
Fall Leaves (brown)
Any leafy vegetable (green)
Any fruit or vegetable (yellow
You can also add
coffee grinds
egg shells
lime
Animal fecal matter/rabbits, cows, horses , chickens (No cats or dogs (Yuk))
Anything fresh and NOT cooked.
Add lime
Turn weekly
.................Extra(ordinary) Ingredients
...........Scroll down the page.....................
http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-21-829,00.html
The No-No List

They also make compost starters
http://www.gardeners.com/Super-Hot-Compost-Starter/default/StandardCatalog.20708.02-175.cpd?SC=XNET8035

Answer 7

Pretty much.

Keep it moist and turn it.

I got worms for mine and it took about 2 months to compost.

Answer 8

yes it will just take a while. in the fall add the dry leaves too, and give it all a stir every now and then.