Kitchen Gardening

All About Compost

Composting turns kitchen and yard scraps into a marvelous soil amendment, and you don't have to do much to accomplish this stunning transformation.

By Ruth Dobsevage
Easy to assemble and disassemble, Lee Reich's compost bin can adapt to the size of your compost pile.
Photo/Illustration: Virginia Small

Easy to assemble and disassemble, Lee Reich’s bin can adapt to the size of your compost pile. Composting turns kitchen and yard scraps into a marvelous soil amendment, and you don’t have to do much to accomplish this stunning transformation. Whether you’re a new composter or a seasoned vet, check out the links on this page for tips on the benefits of composting, composting systems, building a compost bin, managing your compost, compost tea, and worm composting.

 

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A well-balanced compost pile doesn’t smell.
Photo by vinzca under the Creative Commons Attribution License 2.0.

Composting 101

• Hot Composting vs. Cold Composting
• Video: Composting Made Easy
• Creating Healthy Compost
• Composting Hot or Cold 
• Composting in Cold Weather
• Getting Started in Composting
• Compost: Things You Always Wanted to Know
• Start Your Compost Pile This Winter

 
The Victory Garden Composter Compost bins and systems

• 6 Ways to Make Great Compost
• The Victory Garden Composter – part 1
• The Victory Garden Composter – part 2
• A Starter Compost Heap
• DIY Food Scrap Digester/Composter
• A Homemade Compost Bin
• Building a Compost Bin
• More Compost, Less Work
• Portable Compost Bins
Let Worms Compost Your Kitchen Scraps Worm composting

• Let Worms Compost Your Kitchen Scraps
• Video: The Easy Indoor Worm Bin
• Video: Getting Started in Worm Composting
• Worm Composting
Bring On the Bokashi Other ways to compost

• Bring On the Bokashi
• Start a New Garden Bed with a Compost Sandwich
• The Compost Heap Alternative
• Composting in Winter
It's Fall Garden Cleanup Time Leaves and grass clippings

• It’s Fall Garden Cleanup Time
• Uses for Fallen Leaves in the Garden
• Leaf Mold as a Soil Conditioner
• Grasscycle, Compost and Mulch with Grass Clippings
• Video: Fall Leaves Make a Great Natural Mulch
• Improve Your Soil by Raking Less
Rabbit Manure in the Garden Manure

• Rabbit Manure in the Garden
• Raising Animals as Gardening Allies
• Using Manure to Fertilize Your Garden
• Fertilizing the Old-Fashioned Way, with Manure
 
Compost tea

• Video: How to Make Compost Tea
• Brewing Compost Tea
• The Jury Is Still Out on Compost Tea
Compost Q&A

• Compost and ammonia
• Using a compost tumbler in cold weather
• What’s living in my compost?
• Are compost activators useful?
• Flies in compost
• Does your compost pile smell?
• Ask a composting question…

Fine Gardening Recommended Products

Gardener's Log Book from NYBG

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers.
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Razor-Back Potato/Refuse Hook

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

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SHOWA Atlas 370B Nitrile Palm Coating Gloves, Black, Medium (Pack of 12 Pairs)

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Lightweight and close-fitting for excellent dexterity. Machine washable. Breathable back of hand to reduce perspiration. Designed for easy movement and continuous wear. Ideal for aerospace, assembly, automotive, construction, final fix, gardening, manufacturing, operating machinery, packaging, precision handling, tiling, warehousing.
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