7 Different Composting Methods for Home Gardeners
Interested in reaping all the benefits of compost but not sure how to make your own? In this article, biologist and long-time compost enthusiast Lindsay Miller shares several different ways gardeners can build beautiful compost at home.
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Don’t get gardeners started on our compost piles! We love to make it, sift it, and talk about where we’re putting it. We’ll be more than happy to tell you all about the benefits of using this rich amendment; it improves soil fertility and texture, encourages healthy root growth, and boosts moisture retention. Composting at home not only nourishes our gardens but also prevents biodegradable waste from heading to the landfill.
If you’re lucky, we might even drag you over to show off our compost setup, too (and yes, several unsuspecting family members have seen my 3-bin setup). The best method for a home gardener depends on how much biodegradable material your household produces and the amount of available space.
Regardless of how you do it, all of the following composting methods are based on the same simple ingredients: carbon-rich browns plus nitrogen-rich greens equals dark, rich compost. In this article, we’ll explore various techniques for the home gardener, from simple piles to more elaborate bokashi setups. Read on and learn how to reap some gardener’s gold!
Hungry Bin Composter
The Hungry Bin Composter is:
- Fast and convenient
- Perfect for worm composting
- Highly efficient (up to 4.4 lbs of waste per day)
- Manufactured in New Zealand
Single Bin Composting
Composting in a single bin is a straightforward and simple way to turn yard, garden, and kitchen waste into nutrient-rich, finished compost. Bins are simple enclosures made of wood, metal, wire, or plastic. Purchase a commercially available style, build a DIY compost bin, or skip the container entirely and let your compost pile break down in an open pile. More on that method in a minute.
How to Do It
Begin by adding compostable kitchen and garden scraps to your bin. The larger the heap, the more heat it generates. Aim for a heap that is at least 3 feet x 3 feet in size; anything smaller may not generate enough interior heat to successfully decompose.
Once the heap grows large enough to generate some heat, it’s time to grab a shovel or garden fork and flip the entire heap. Mix the material thoroughly so every bit gets aerated. All pieces need to spend some time cooking in the center of the heap.
No Bin? No Problem
Remember, decomposition happens naturally in the forest without any tools or human intervention; piling it together under certain conditions in our yards is simply a way to speed up the process.
You can start a compost pile anywhere in your yard or garden. However, a somewhat sheltered location with no standing water is highly preferred. With no lid or container walls to help conserve moisture, piles can dry out quickly. If you live in a hot, dry climate, you’ll need to “water” your compost heap periodically to keep the material moist.
Pros and Cons
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Open to the ground means beneficial microbes can easily access the heap | If using a bin, it can be difficult to get a pitchfork inside to flip the contents |
| Beneficial microbes and fungi can easily access the heap | Nuisance wildlife can easily access bin-less piles |
| Inexpensive and easiest method | Can be slower than other methods |
Multi-Bin Composting
When composting in a single bin, the continuous addition of fresh food and garden waste slows down and “resets” the decomposition process a bit. The main advantage is that you can have compost in varying stages of readiness. Gardeners can scoop out finished, ready-to-use compost from one bin while simultaneously starting new compost in another.
How to Do It
As a home gardener who composts with a multi-bin system, I can attest to the fact that it holds A LOT of kitchen and yard waste! I start by adding kitchen and garden waste to Bin 1. Once this one is full and decomposition has begun, the contents are all shoveled into Bin 2. This adds oxygen to the pile and frees up space in Bin 1 for new kitchen and garden waste.
Remember, you don’t want to add fresh material to an actively decomposing pile.
When the material in Bin 2 begins to look more like soil (dark and crumbly instead of whole chunks), it can be moved to Bin 3 for curing and storage. Because I generally don’t have that much kitchen and garden waste, I actively compost in two of the three bins and use the third one to stockpile wood shavings, a carbon-rich compostable “brown”.
The only downside to this method? It takes up more space. Small-space gardeners may want to choose a more compact way to compost.
Pros and Cons
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Can handle large amounts of yard and kitchen waste | A large system that occupies a big area |
| Easy to monitor compost in different stages | Requires regular turning |
Tumbler Composting
Unlike multi-bin composting, in which you are continuously producing compost, the tumbler method produces one batch of finished compost at a time. The concept is simple: kitchen and garden waste goes into a horizontal rotating drum. Rotating the tumbler every few days adds oxygen to the contents, which in turn helps speed up the decomposition process.
Composting in a tumbler is an excellent choice for small spaces or gardeners who don’t have huge amounts of material to break down. Compost tumblers are moveable and easy to physically turn; no flipping or wrestling a pitchfork required.
Pros and Cons
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Easy to physically manage with no flipping required | Typically small in capacity and not ideal for gardeners with a lot of waste |
| All the material gets mixed at the same time, resulting in even decomposition | Tumblers require regular turning |
| Self-contained design prevents wildlife from interfering | Tumblers can retain moisture and material can get oversaturated |
Trench Composting
Don’t overthink trench composting: dig a trench or pit in your garden, place your scraps in it, then cover it with soil. That’s it—the earthworms and other microorganisms will take care of the rest! Trench composting may be especially useful for small-space gardeners who are looking to improve their soil on a regular basis instead of waiting for one large batch of compost to finish cooking.
How to Do It
Use a shovel or trowel to dig a pit or trench at least 12 inches deep; deeper is better if you live in an area highly trafficked by wildlife. Drop your scraps into the pit, then backfill with the surrounding soil. Rotate the location of your trenches so all sections of the garden will ultimately get a dose of compost, and you aren’t disturbing the scraps you buried just last week.
Gardeners in dry, hot regions may especially appreciate trench composting; moisture is an important part of the decomposition process and scraps buried underground will retain moisture much longer than those exposed to the open air above. Cold climate gardeners, take note: you may not be able to rely on trench composting when the ground freezes. Luckily, there are plenty of other composting methods more suitable for the winter months.
Pros and Cons
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Very simple and does not require extra space or tools | Requires regular trips to the garden |
| No need to lug finished compost out to the garden | Continuously disturbs soil microorganisms |
| Odorless and invisible | Cold climate gardeners may not be able to do in winter months |
Sheet Composting
Transform a large patch of grass in your yard into a veggie garden or a new perennial bed with this low-effort method. Sheet composting is an excellent, albeit slow, way to convert grass to a ready-to-plant garden bed full of rich, organic soil.
Also known as lasagna composting, sheet composting involves layering browns and greens over one another in the location you’d like to create compost. Composting directly in place avoids disturbing the existing soil microorganisms, a fundamental part of no-till gardening.
How to Do It
Begin by removing any particularly stubborn weeds from the area you plan to compost. Mow the grass down very short, and then cover this area with plain cardboard (no staples or waxy labels, please!) or several layers of newspaper. This base layer will smother future grass growth by blocking sunlight —it also adds plenty of carbon.
Wet the cardboard thoroughly, then add a thick layer of leaves, straw, or even manure if you have access to it. Continue to add alternating layers of browns and greens until the bed has reached the desired height, generally anywhere between 18 inches and 3 feet tall. Top the pile with straw to keep the pile neat and tidy.
Fall is a fantastic time to start layering, as the material will break down and be ready for spring planting. Sheet composting is a slow process; depending on your climate, it can take several months for layers to decompose. However, if you have a stack of clean cardboard you’re looking to get rid of, along with plenty of patience, this might be the method for you.
Pros and Cons
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Creates a new garden bed from kitchen and yard waste | Requires some initial physical work to get started |
| Does not disturb beneficial soil microorganisms | A slow process; the new bed won’t be ready for planting right away |
Vermicomposting
Could you really rely on a few worms to dispose of an entire kitchen’s worth of compostable scraps? Don’t sell these wee wigglers short! Researchers estimate that one pound of worms can turn 65 pounds of organic waste into finished garden compost in as little as 100 days!
The result is vermicompost, a potent mix of composted kitchen scraps and worm castings. Worm castings are rich in micronutrients and beneficial bacteria. Experts even call it powerhouse poop! Use vermicompost as a soil amendment to enrich every corner of your garden, from houseplants to raised beds to lawns.
Most gardeners do their vermicomposting in either a DIY or commercially available worm bin. Fill the upper container with a layer of moistened, compostable bedding, typically shredded paper, coconut coir, or leaves. Place the top bin over a secondary container or tray, which will catch the leachate that seeps out the bottom. Worm composters are small and entirely self-contained; if you live in an apartment, this may be the composting method for you.
Choose the Right Worms
Vermicomposting is a great way to show young kids how decomposition and soil health go hand in hand. However, you won’t want to fill your worm bin with whatever worm your toddler brings home that day.
Source some red wigglers (Eisenia fetida) or any other epigeic (surface-dwelling) species that have evolved to inhabit leaf litter and surface soils. Most of the earthworms in our backyard live and feed deep below the soil surface and would not thrive in a shallow worm bin.
Pros and Cons
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Worm bins are small and entirely self-contained | Worms can die if the temperature is too hot or too cold |
| Produces beneficial worm castings in addition to compost | They can smell unpleasant if too much waste is added or bedding is wet |
| No flipping or shoveling needed | They can attract fruit flies if not properly maintained |
Bokashi Composting
All the composting methods described above work by aerobic digestion; the microbes need oxygen to do their work. We gardeners aerate the system by mixing, flipping, or tumbling the materials on occasion. Bokashi systems use a blend of bacteria and yeast to ferment food scraps via anaerobic digestion, a process that requires an absence of oxygen.
How to Do It
To effectively “pickle” your kitchen waste, you’ll need two buckets with an airtight lid. Layer kitchen scraps and an inoculated bran until the bucket is full, then seal it and allow it to ferment for a minimum of two weeks.
Similar to vermicomposting, you can use the bokashi method in an indoor self-contained bucket. This makes it especially useful for small-space living or folks who live in colder climates.
Beware that the finished bokashi product should not be applied directly to plants; it’s simply too acidic. However, if you bury it at least 8 inches deep in soil away from existing plants, it will feed future planting locations. Alternatively, toss bokashi in a standard compost bin or added (gradually) to a worm composter to speed up the aerobic decomposition.
Pros and Cons
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| They are small and entirely self-contained | Need to purchase or make additional inoculated bran |
| Can digest meat and dairy products | Bokashi can smell unpleasant if exposed to air |
| No flipping or shoveling needed | Cannot be added directly to plants |
Key Takeaways
A gardener will tell you that composting at home is a no-brainer. With so many different methods available, there are options for every budget, space, and lifestyle. Don’t be afraid to experiment with a few different methods until you find your composting groove, and of course, be patient!
