GARDEN CAPSULE
The challenge: You’d like to turn your spent plants and grass clippings into compost but don’t know where to begin.
The solution: Aim for a finished pile that is between 3 by 3 by 3 feet and 5 by 5 by 5 feet, the size in which materials decompose quickest. Find a level site with good drainage, away from tree roots. Where appearance is important, consider a ready-made composting unit. Layer ingredients: 6 to 8 inches of a mixture of organic materials such as garden debris, grass clippings, fruit and vegetable peelings and leaves, with more dry ingredients than green. Avoid adding meat scraps, oils and pet wastes. Sprinkle the layer with a high-nitrogen material such as coffee grounds, blood meal, fish meal, animal manure or commercial compost starter, then top with a 1-inch layer of garden soil. Repeat layers until the desired height is reached. To hurry the composting process, turn the pile occasionally.
Pluses: Finished compost is a uniform product with a balance of nutrients that will help build your garden’s soil and encourage healthy plants. Unlike chemical fertilizers, compost is a good source of humus and micronutrients.
Minuses: Soggy ingredients or a mixture that has too much green stuff in relation to dry materials can be stinky. One with too many autumn leaves and dead plants can be very slow to “cook.”
Sources: You can find easy-to-follow instructions, answers to your compost questions, and a compost trouble-shooter at https://web.extension.illinois.edu/homecompost/.