What Is Required to Start a Compost Pile?

Bin Materials

• Composting bins are available as a prefabricated unit that you can purchase from dealers, farm stores and some municipalities or state university extension services. A homeowner also has the option of building one with cement blocks, fencing or wooden forms such as shipping pallets. A simple compost pile can be built on bare ground in rural areas.

Dry Matter

• The compost pile is formed on top of a foundation layer of old dry sticks. Dried leaves are layered into the pile to add carbon to the mixture of compostable materials. Materials such as nut shells, paper and straw add carbon to the compost pile. Some carbon-based materials have a slow rate of decomposition. It is best to grind up corn stalks, corn cobs, pine needles and nut shells into small pieces. These materials, which are slow to decompose, should be sprinkled or well incorporated into the green matter, soil or manure in the compost pile.

Fresh Matter

• Kitchen scraps, yard waste, livestock manure, tea or coffee grounds and garden refuse are the faster decomposing components of the new pile. These green materials break down more quickly than dried matter. Organisms feed on the vegetable peelings, fruit refuse and meal leftovers to break them down. Fresh green material is the nitrogen-based matter in the compost pile. Nitrogen aids in the heating process that breaks down the compost components. If a pile heats too quickly, an odor may occur. This is rectified by adding more carbon matter to the fresh materials.

Natural Elements

• Water and oxygen are vital to the new compost pile. Water adds to the decomposition of the materials. The oxygen keeps the pile from being infiltrated with destructive mold and resulting odor. Oxygen keeps circulating within the pile if it is aerated. The sticks at the bottom of the pile allow oxygen or air to infiltrate into the lower regions of the pile. A shovel or aeration tool is used to turn the decomposing materials in the pile and allow oxygen to permeate the matter. Microorganisms and macroorganisms including bacteria, bugs and worms are vital to the process in a new compost pile.