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QUESTION: When should you start a compost pile?

ANSWER: You can begin your composting routine at any time of year without major drawbacks. However, there are a few advantages to starting at certain times, especially for people in certain climates. Spring may make the most sense as a starting point simply because it’s the beginning of the gardening season, so you’ll already be working out in the garden. The weather will also be temperate and comfortable to work in. 

However, if you start composting in the fall, you may have a batch of compost ready to use in your garden by the following spring, so you’ll start seeing the rewards before too much time passes.

Autumn leaves also make an excellent composting material to help kick things off. In cold regions, winter temperatures may put a stop to the microbial activity in your compost heap, so winter may not be the best time to begin if you live somewhere cold.

QUESTION: What plants should not be composted?

ANSWER: While most plant material and garden trash can be added to your compost bin or pile, there are some plants you should take care not to include. Any plants that show signs of disease should be disposed of in the trash instead of in your compost. Using diseased plants in compost can re-introduce the disease to your garden when the compost is added to the garden’s soil.

Similarly, you should avoid using invasive weeds in compost. They’re likely to take root in the compost pile and start growing if the compost isn’t very hot, or they can spill their seeds into the compost, which means they’ll end up growing in the garden again once the compost is used. 

Grass clippings are normally a good composting material, but if your grass has been treated with herbicides to kill weeds, the clippings should not be included. Some weed killers don’t break down in the compost pile, so they can persist to end up harming your plants and trees when the compost is spread.

Of particular concern are clopyralid, aminopyralid, and aminocyclopyrachlor. These substances don’t decompose even inside an animal’s digestive system, so they’re certain to survive the composting process.

QUESTION: What is the ratio of brown to green in compost?

ANSWER: Ideally, your compost materials should consist of 30 parts carbon (“brown” ingredients)  to every one part of nitrogen (“green” materials). With less carbon, the extra nitrogen will emanate from the compost as ammonia gas, causing an undesirable ammonia aroma around the area where your compost is kept.

With less nitrogen than the recommended 30:1 ratio, there won’t be enough of the nitrogen to keep the microbes inside the compost thriving and healthy. The result of fewer microbes is compost that doesn’t get hot and doesn’t break down as quickly.

QUESTION: Does a compost pile need sun?

ANSWER: On first thought, it may seem like your compost pile needs sun to help heat it up and speed the process of decomposition. However, the sun’s rays aren’t what will cause the compost to heat up. Instead, the heat is due to microbial activity inside the compost pile. Sun isn’t a requirement for compost.

In fact, some people keep their compost indoors if they don’t have space for it outside or if they use vermicomposting and need to protect their worms from extreme weather conditions. If you live somewhere warm, you’ll want to choose a shady spot for your compost pile so the sun doesn’t cause the moisture to evaporate.

But if your climate is colder and wetter, moisture loss won’t be a problem, and you’ll probably be dealing with an excess of moisture in your compost. In that case, a sunnier spot will help keep things from getting too wet in your compost pile.

QUESTION: Can I compost coconut oil?

ANSWER: Though synthetic oils and animal fats and greases should never be added to compost, small amounts of plant oils can be added. But ONLY small amounts. Keep in mind that even in small amounts, adding oils can increase the amount of time that your compost takes to break down and become ready to use in the garden, and can also attract pests. Probably best not to if you have more than few tablespoons.