1. Composting at Home
Based on a scripted slide set written and produced by
Robert E. (Skip) Richter,
CEA-Horticulture,
Travis County,
Texas Agricultural Extension Service.
A scripted slide set written and produced by Robert E. (Skip) Richter, CEA-Horticulture, Travis County, Texas Agricultural Extension Service.
Adjust your browser font size to best display the text on the following slides. Click on the right arrow to go forward, the left arrow to go back one slide, and the middle ball to go to the beginning.

2. Composting: Making “Black Gold”
Composting is fun! It's also easy. Let's learn about how we make compost and how we use it to grow beautiful gardens.

3. Common Terms
Composting is the controlled decomposition of organic materials by microorganisms.
Compost is partially decomposed organic matter.
Humus is completely decomposed organic matter.
Mulch is organic or inorganic materials spread in a layer on the soil surface.

4. What are the Benefits of Composting?
Conserve landfill space by 25% annually
It improves the “structure” of our heavy clay soil by making it easier to cultivate plants – so the soil drains better
Improves nutrient levels
Moisture retention
And fights plant diseases
What is Composting?  Composting is a biological process during which naturally occurring microorganisms, bacteria and insects break down organic materials such as leaves, grass clippings and certain kitchen scraps into a soil-like product called compost. It is a form of recycling, a natural way of returning needed nutrients to the soil.
Why Compost? By composting kitchen scraps and yard trimmings at home, you can conserve valuable landfill space normally used to dispose of this material and help reduce air emissions from the incinerator plants that burn garbage. In fact, if you compost on a continual basis, the volume of garbage you generate can be reduced by as much as 25%! Composting is practical, convenient and can be easier and less expensive than bagging these wastes and taking them to the landfill or transfer station.
Benefits of Using Compost. By using compost you return organic matter and nutrients to the soil in a form readily useable to plants. Organic matter improves plant growth by helping to break heavy clay soils into a better texture, by adding water and nutrient-holding capacity to sandy soils, and by adding essential nutrients to any soil. Improving your soil is the first step toward improving the health of your plants. Healthy plants help clean our air and conserve our soil. If you have a garden, a lawn, shrubs, or even planter boxes, you have a use for compost.
About one month before planting, apply 1-3 inches of the finished compost and work it into the top four inches of soil. Compost can also be used in the garden as a top dressing or mulch throughout the summer. Screened through a ½" sieve, compost can be used to create a potting soil by combining equal parts of compost, sand and loam. Large particles can be put back in the compost pile. Lawns can benefit from a ¼" application of compost which helps stimulate biological activity in the turf. If you have more compost than you can use, give it to a friend or neighbor!

5. Making a Compost Bin
The method of composting selected will depend on when finished compost is desired, the materials to be composted, and the space available for composting.

6. Five Different Composting Methods
Holding units,
Turning units,
Heaps,
Soil incorporation, and
Worm composting.

7. Holding Unit
Containers or bins that hold yard and garden materials until composting is complete. Allow 6 months to 2 years for finished without turning.
Easy to build and least labor intensive. Good for small compost amounts of yard wastes. Slowest way to compost.
Table 1 Selecting a compost method
Holding Unit Containers or bins that hold yard and garden materials until composting is complete. Allow 6 months to 2 years for finished without turning. Wire mesh (Figure 1) Snow fence (Figure 2)
Easy to build and least labor intensive. Good for small compost amounts of yard wastes. Slowest way to compost.
Figure 4 A rotating barrel composter. Wire-mesh holding unit
A wire-mesh holding unit is inexpensive and easy to build out of either galvanized chicken wire or hardware cloth. Non-galvanized chicken wire also can be used, but it will not last as long. Posts provide more stability for a chicken-wire bin, but make the bin difficult to move. A wire-mesh bin made without posts is easy to lift and provides access to finished compost at the bottom of the pile while the compost at the top of the pile is still decomposing.
Materials
10-foot length of 36-inch-wide 1-inch galvanized chicken wire, or
10-foot length of 1/2-inch-wide hardware cloth (note: This will make a bin with a diameter of 3 feet)
Heavy wire for ties
Three or four 4-foot-tall wooden or metal posts (for chicken wire bin)
Tools
Heavy-duty wire or tin snips
Pliers
Hammer (for chicken wire bin)
Metal file (for hardware cloth bin)
Work gloves
To build a wire-mesh unit with chicken wire
Fold back 3 to 4 inches of wire at each end of the cut piece to provide a strong, clean edge that will not poke or snag and that will be easy to latch.
Stand the wire in a circle and set it in place for the compost pile.
Cut the heavy wire into lengths for ties. Attach the ends of the chicken wire together with the wire ties, using pliers.
Space wood or metal posts around the inside of the chicken-wire circle. Holding the posts tightly against the wire, pound them firmly into the ground to provide support.
To build a wire-mesh unit with hardware cloth
Trim the ends of the hardware cloth so that the wires are flush with a cross wire to get rid of edges that could poke or scratch hands. Lightly file each wire along the cut edge to ensure safe handling when opening and closing the bin.
Bend the hardware cloth into a circle, and stand it in place for the compost pile.
Cut the heavy wire into lengths for ties. Attach the ends of the hardware cloth together with the wire ties, using pliers.
Figure 2 A snow-fence holding unit.
Snow-fence holding unit
A snow-fence holding unit is simple to make. It works best with four posts pounded into the ground for support.
Four wooden or metal posts, 4 to 5 feet long (use pressure-treated lumber for the wooden posts)
A 13-foot length of snow fencing, at least 3 feet tall
Sledge hammer
To build a snow-fence holding unit
Choose a 3-foot-square site for your holding unit and pound the four wooden or metal posts into the ground 3 feet apart, at the corners of the square.
Cut the heavy wire into lengths for ties. Attach the snow fence to the outside of the posts with the wire ties, using pliers.
Attach the fence ends together in the same way, forming a 3-foot-square enclosure.
Figure 3 A wood and wire three-bin turning unit.
Wood and wire three-bin turning unit
A wood and wire three-bin turning unit can be used to quickly compost large amounts of yard, garden and kitchen wastes. Although relatively expensive to build, it is sturdy, attractive and should last a long time. Construction requires basic carpentry skills and tools.
Four 12-foot lengths of pressure-treated 2 x 4 lumber
Two 10-foot lengths of pressure-treated 2 x 4 lumber
One 10-foot length of construction-grade 2 x 4 lumber
One 16-foot length of 2 x 6 lumber
Six 8-foot lengths of 1 x 6 lumber
A 22-foot length of 36-inch-wide 1/2-inch hardware cloth
16d galvanized nails (2 pounds)
Poultry wire staples (250)
Twelve 1/2-inch carriage bolts, 4 inches long, with washers and nuts
One quart wood preservative or stain
Materials for optional lids
One 4-x-8-foot sheet of 1/2-inch exterior plywood
One 4-x-4-foot sheet of 1/2-inch exterior plywood
Six 3-inch zinc-plated hinges
Twenty-four 3/16-inch galvanized steel bolts, with washers and nuts
Tape measure
Hand saw or circular power saw
Hammer
Tin snips
Carpenter's square
Drill with 3/16-inch and 1/2-inch bits
Screwdriver
Adjustable wrench
Pencil
Safety glasses, ear protection, dust mask, and work gloves
To build a wood and wire three-bin system
Cut two 31-1/2-inch and two 36-inch pieces from a 12-foot length of pressure-treated 2 x 4 lumber. Butt-joint and nail the four pieces into a 35-inch x 36-inch "square" (see Fig. 3b). Repeat, building three more frames with the remaining 12-foot lengths of 2 x 4 lumber.
Cut four 37-inch lengths of hardware cloth. Fold back the edges of the wire 1 inch. Stretch the pieces of hardware cloth across each frame. Make sure the corners of each frame are square and then staple the screen tightly into place every 4 inches around the edge. The wood and wire frames will be dividers in your composter.
Set two dividers on end, 9 feet apart and parallel to each other. Position the other two dividers so that they are parallel to and evenly spaced between the end dividers. Place the 36-inch edges on the ground. Measure the position of the centers of the two inside dividers along each 9-foot edge.
Cut a 9-foot piece from each 10-foot length of pressure-treated 2 x 4 lumber. Place the two treated boards across the tops of the dividers so that each is flush against the outer edges. Measure and mark on the 9-foot boards the center of each inside divider.
Line up the marks, and through each junction of board and divider, drill a 1/2-inch hole centered 1 inch from the edge. Secure the boards with carriage bolts, but do not tighten them yet. Turn the unit so that the treated boards are on the bottom.
Cut one 9-foot piece from the 10-foot length of construction-grade 2 x 4 lumber. Attach the board to the back of the top by repeating the process used to attach the base boards. Using the carpenter's square, or measuring between opposing corners, make sure the bin is square. Tighten all the bolts securely.
Fasten a 9-foot length of hardware cloth to the back side of the bin, with staples every 4 inches around the frame.
Cut four 36-inch-long pieces from the 16-foot length of 2 x 6 lumber for front runners. (Save the remaining 4-foot length.) Rip-cut two of these boards to two 4-3/4-inch-wide strips (save the two remaining strips).
Nail the 4-3/4-inch-wide strips to the front of the outside dividers and baseboard so that they are flush on the top and the outside edges. Center the two remaining 6-inch-wide boards on the front of the inside dividers flush with the top edge and nail securely (Fig. 3c).
Cut the remaining 4-foot length of 2 x 6 lumber into a 34-inch-long piece, and then rip-cut this piece into four equal strips. Trim the two strips saved from Step 8 to 34 inches. Nail each 34-inch strip to the insides of the dividers so that they are parallel to, and 1 inch away from, the boards attached to the front. This creates a 1-inch vertical slot on the inside of each divider.
Cut the six 8-foot lengths of 1 x 6 lumber into 18 slats, each 31-1/4 inches long. Insert the horizontal slats, six per bin, between the dividers and into the vertical slots.
(Optional) Cut the 4-x-8-foot sheet of exterior plywood into two 3-x-3-foot pieces. Cut the 4-x-4-foot sheet of exterior plywood into one 3-x-3-foot piece on one of the three bins, and attach each to the back, top board with two hinges.
Stain all untreated wood.

8. A Rotating Barrel Composter- Turning Unit
A series of bins or a rotating bin that allows organic material to be turned on a regular schedule. Two general forms: either a series of bins, or a horizontally mounted rotating barrel.
With a substantial input of labor, a large volume of yard waste can be composted in a relatively short time (3 weeks to 6 months). Turning bins can require a greater expense to buy or effort to build.

9. Worm Composting
Food wastes can be digested by red worms (red wigglers) placed in a bin with shredded and moistened newspaper, corrugated cardboard, peat moss or sawdust. Requires temperatures between 50 and 70 degrees F so a basement or semi-heated indoor space is required. Worm bin (Figure 5a)
Small amounts of worms turn fruit and vegetable scraps into a high-quality soil amendment. Generally, every pound of food waste to be composted per week will require 1 sq. ft. of surface area. Two pounds of worms are needed for every pound of garbage produced per day.

10. Heaps
No structure is required for heap composting. The pile should be at least 3 ft. high and 3 ft. wide; its length will vary depending upon the amount of material used. Heaps (Figure 6)
Least expensive way to compost as no physical structure is needed. Heaps may not appear as neat and tidy as using a bin(s) for composting. Composting will be faster if the heap is turned regularly.

11. Soil Incorporation
Non-fatty food wastes can be buried at least 8 inches below ground level. Burying at least 8 inches discourages animals from digging up the waste.
Good method for disposing of small amounts of food wastes. Mix soil with the food waste to hasten decomposition.
Wastes break down in one month to one year depending on soil temperatures, number of organisms in soil, and the carbon content of the wastes. Do not bury meat, bones or other fatty materials as it may attract pests.

12. Setting Up the Bin
Next select a spot to set up your bin. It should be out of the way but convenient to reach with plenty of room to work around. Some good places would be near your garden or in a back corner of the yard. It is also a good idea to choose a location close to a source of water.

13. Compost Recipe
Now for the recipe for compost. The micro-organisms that recycle leaves and other plant parts need an even mix of brown stuff and green stuff to munch on. They also need air and water to live and work. Put all this together and in time you will have compost!

14. Recipe Ingredients
Air
Water
Brown Stuff
Green Stuff

15. Five Containers of Ingredients
Brown stuff is dead, dried plant parts like leaves and pine needles. Brown stuff is high in the element carbon. Green stuff is fresh, living parts like grass clippings, kitchen vegetable scraps, weeds and other plants. Green stuff is high in the element nitrogen.

16. Don’t Use
Don't use meat, milk products because pets and other animals may try to dig them up out of your compost bin. Also don't use diseased garden plants. They can spread disease back into the garden later when you use the compost.

17. Don’t Use Meat Bones Cheese Pet droppings Milk Fats Oils
Diseased plants

18. Add Leaves
It is easiest to build our compost bin in layers of ingredients. Start with the brown stuff by spreading a layer of leaves or pine needles about 6 inches thick.

19. Carbon Sources
Here are some sources of carbon along with their carbon-nitrogen ratio. You can use these numbers to better determine how much brown and green stuff you should use to make the best mix for composting.
Some things, such as sawdust, are very high in carbon compared to their nitrogen content, while others, such as leaves, are not so high.
Ideal ratio of C:N is 30:1.

20. Carbon Sources Dried leaves 60:1 Pine needles 90:1 Newspaper 125:1
Sawdust 625:1

21. Add Grass Clippings
Next, for the green stuff, add a layer of grass clippings a few inches thick.
It is helpful to mix the layers up a little as you make them.

22. Nitrogen Sources
Here are some sources of nitrogen along with their carbon-nitrogen ratio. Once again, you can see that the ratio varies a lot between the different ingredients.

23. Nitrogen Sources Food Scraps 15:1 Grass clippings 18:1
Coffee grounds 20:1
Horse manure 25:1

24. Shovel the Soil
Then sprinkle a shovelful of soil or compost to add microorganisms to the bin.

25. Watering
Each layer gets a good sprinkling of water to wet the ingredients. It is important to wet each layer as you build it. Repeat each of the layers until the bin is full and then.....
Squeezed sponge. When wrung out a couple of drops should fall out.
Look in your handout:
Plant material should feel like
a ____________ ________.

26. Finished Bin!
...TAH DAHHHHH! the microorganisms will go to work breaking down the ingredients into humus. If you want faster compost, you can mix the ingredients every few weeks but this isn't necessary.

27. Compost "Critters"
Now tiny microorganisms (that you cannot see without a microscope) go to work breaking down the organic matter into compost.
Later, as the compost cools down, you may see larger organisms such as millipedes, sow bugs, earthworms and others. Compost is teeming with living things!
Soil microbes are the unsung heroes of a healthy environment, says a University of Georgia scientist. And one gram of soil could have several billion bacteria. It could contain as many as 5,000 kinds of organisms.

28. How to add Food Scraps- Plano's policy regarding food waste.
Plano (via the Health Dept.) doesn't encourage mixing food waste into open,
backyard compost piles due to the possibility of attracting rodents. 
Pocket composting, vermi-composting or using a latching cover for a bin
are acceptable food composting methods.
Plano's policy regarding food waste.
Plano (via the Health Dept.) doesn't encourage mixing food waste into open, backyard compost piles due to the possibility of attracting rodents.  Pocket composting, vermi-composting or using a latching cover for a bin are acceptable food composting methods.  If you are speaking to an audience that includes Plano residents, please mention this.
Thanks for sharing your work!
Would you also be willing to promote our next Master Composter Training?
MASTER COMPOSTER TRAINING
Learn the secret of gardening success in North Texas! Join this 16-hour class and receive in-depth instruction on composting and worm composting, as well as an opportunity to build a compost pile.  Participants will receive a compost bin, worms, T-shirt and book.  Participants are required to provide the City of Plano with 40 hours of volunteer service over a 12-month period in compost-related outreach programs.  Upon completion of their volunteer hours, individuals receive certification as a Master Composter by the state of Texas and a compost thermometer from the City of Plano.  A $30 materials fee will be collected at the first class.  Classes will be held at Parkway Service Center, 4120 W. Plano Parkway on Thursday, Nov. 2 and Friday, Nov. 3 from 5:30 – 9:00 p.m. and on Saturday, November 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Attendance at all three sessions is required. To register, call (972)
Deb Bliss City of Plano Compost Marketing and Education Coordinator

29. Signs Compost is Ready to Use:
The pile has shrunk significantly, up to one-half its original volume;
The original organic materials that you put in are no longer recognizable for what they were;
If you are using a hot composting method, the pile will be no longer generating a significant amount of heat.
The compost has a dark crumbly appearance and has an earthy odor.
This is compost, the dark, earthy-smelling stuff is rich in nutrients.
Plants love it! Let's talk about how to use compost to help plants grow

30. Compost is Ready after 1-12 Months, Depending on the:
Size of the materials placed in the compost system,
the degree of management,
and the intended use. Compost that will be used as a top dressing or mulch can be applied after the least amount of time. Compost that will be used for growing plants in containers must be thoroughly composted.
There are many terms for compost that is ready to use. Some call it "stable," others call it "finished"; still others call it "mature".
Test whether the compost is ready.. Decomposition will be complete anywhere from two weeks to two years depending on the materials used, the size of the pile, and how often it is turned. Compost is ready when it has cooled, turned a rich brown color, and has decomposed into small soil-like particles.

31. Use Compost as Mulch
You can use compost as a mulch around garden plants, like this rose bush. Mulch protects the soil and shades out weed seeds.
Nutrients are washed out into the soil with each rain to feed the roots of plants.

32. Mix Into Planting Hole
Compost is great for mixing into the soil when you are planting a new plant like this flower!
It helps a sandy soil hold moisture and nutrients better and improves clay soils too.

33. Use Compost in Potting Soil
Compost mixed with some sand makes a super potting soil for growing plants in containers.
Screened through a ½" sieve, compost can be used to create a potting soil by combining equal parts of compost, sand and loam.

34. Trench Composting
Another way to compost in the garden is by trench composting.

35. Dumping Leaves in Trench
Start by placing leaves in the trenches between raised beds, or in the pathways through your garden.

36. Shoveling Compost from Trench
By the end of the gardening season these leaves will be mostly decomposed and can be scooped up and placed around garden plants as an excellent mulch.
Or, you can mix them into the planting beds to improve the soil.

37. Compost “Pockets”
Another way to compost in the garden is by making compost pockets. They are easy and fun.

38. Covering With Soil
Next, cover the scraps with soil to bury them and fill the hole. Now you can make more compost pockets in other locations!

39. After about a month or two you can plant a flower or maybe a tomato plant on the spot where you make the compost pocket. Then stand back and watch it grow!

40. Resources
Written and Produced by Robert E Richter CEA-Horticulture, Travis County Texas Agricultural Extension Service
Master Composter Meetings first Saturday of the month at the Plano Children’s Discovery Garden on Plano Parkway between Coit and Ohio. Call to confirm:
Deb Bliss City of Plano Compost Marketing and Education Coordinator

41. Master Composter Training
Learn the secret of gardening success in North Texas! Join this 16-hour class and receive in-depth instruction on composting and worm composting, as well as an opportunity to build a compost pile.  Participants will receive a compost bin, worms, T-shirt and book. 
Participants are required to provide the City of Plano with 40 hours of volunteer service over a 12-month period in compost-related outreach programs.  Upon completion of their volunteer hours, individuals receive certification as a Master Composter by the state of Texas and a compost thermometer from the City of Plano. 
A $30 materials fee will be collected at the first class.  Classes will be held at Parkway Service Center, 4120 W. Plano Parkway on Thursday, Nov. 2 and Friday, Nov. 3 from 5:30 – 9:00 p.m. and on Saturday, November 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Attendance at all three sessions is required. To register, call (972)