There are different ways to compost. One way, the “slow” way, involves making a pile in a corner of your yard for leaves, weeds, and grass clippings. The process I am going to explain here, however, involves a faster, aerobic composting that you can do with food waste from your kitchen.

If you don’t have an outside composting container you can make one out of wood that is about 3 or 4 feet wide (about a cubic yard large in total) and optimally has boards in the front that are removeable, allowing you to get to the finished compost. Many pre-made composting bins have some sort of removable door built-in to allow for this access. You want the sides and floor of the bin tight so the organic materials don’t fall through and provide access to flies or varmints.

I recommend having two bins or containers. You will want to fill one with sawdust (ideal), yard clippings, leaves, or wood chips/flakes (which you may have if you keep chickens). The second container is for your kitchen scraps. When you bring out the compost from the kitchen you will put it in the second container, then take material from the first container and cover up whatever you have just dumped from the kitchen.

One thing to remember is that with the more surface area your kitchen scraps have, the faster the composting process will proceed. Fats break down slowly and some people leave them out of their compost entirely, but if you include them you will only want to introduce them in small amounts. Fresh and green materials supply important nitrogen to the organisms actively doing the composting.

You will want to turn the pile with a pitchfork or shovel, trying to switch around the top and bottom and the sides to the middle. This turning increases the surface area and exposes the compost to more air, aiding-in and speeding-up the aerobic process. Aim to do this turning once every three days. A properly made pile will rise in temperature to 160°F in the middle by the third or fourth day, and after it is turned many times it will begin to slowly cool. When it has gone below 100°F it can be ready for use in the garden.