Balcony Composting

What You Will Need to Compost

• For balcony composting, you need a covered container, such as a 5-gallon garbage bin or container, a saucer for under the bin to keep your area clean, normal garden soil or sand, wet organic material, water, and wet or dried leaves or grass. You need a space for the bin on your balcony or patio where you will not have to worry about waste or dirt being spilled or spread.

What You Can Use in Your Compost

• You throw away many organic materials in your household every day that can be used as compost to help your garden. Composting them means that you change them from household waste into a useful product. You can use wet kitchen refuse such as fruit and vegetable peels, seeds, rotten fruit and vegetables, eggshells and coffee grounds. Do not add meats and other animal proteins such as milk, eggs or cheese.

Encouraging Bacterial Growth

• Once you have collected your kitchen refuse, place all the organic material in your compost bucket on your balcony. As the material decomposes, it will attract bacteria, and these bacteria need both air and water to thrive. Layer your refuse with a few inches of soil or dirt to block the smell and allow it to mix into a composting consistency.

Continuing Your Compost Pile

• Once you have a base of compost, continue adding kitchen refuse. After every addition, top with more soil and wet with tap water. Make sure the mixture is draining naturally, and stir or rotate the compost at least once a week. Once the mixture is uniformly black, the bacteria will have done their job and your compost mix will be ready for use.