How to Compost in Ohio

Choose a spot on your property for your compost pile. Choose an area large enough to handle the amount that you're planning to compost that is not too close to your home. Check your city's zoning laws to find out the distance your pile must be from your neighbor's lawn before beginning. The area you choose should be larger than 3 cubic feet so the inside of the pile can retain some heat during the Ohio winter. This means it should be wider, longer and taller than 3 feet. Turn the pile over every few weeks so that air can get to all parts of the pile.

Put walls around your compost pile. These walls can be as simple as a woven-wire bin or as sturdy as a brick wall.

Get to know what you can and cannot compost. Materials that will decompose can be composted. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers a list of items that can be composted and ones that cannot. For example, things like manure, cardboard, cotton, fireplace ash, plants, vegetables and fruits, leaves, newspaper, wood chips and yard clippings are all compostable. Do not compost coal, charcoal ash, fats and grease, meat or fish scraps, pet waste or anything treated with pesticides.

Shred up anything you add to your compost pile to help it decompose faster. For example, shred newspaper with a shredder machine, cut vegetable waste into smaller pieces and tear apart cotton rags.

Build up your compost pile. The first layer should be chopped brush. The second layer is a mix of wet items, such as food scraps, leaves and grass clippings. The third layer is about an inch of soil. The fourth layer is a few inches of manure. Add lime or wood ash to the top of this layer. Continue adding the layers in this order until the compost pile is above 3 feet tall.

Add dry materials if your compost pile reaches above a 50- to 60-percent moisture content, meaning over half the materials being composted are wet. Dry it off with items like fireplace ash, shredded newspaper, cotton rags, cardboard and vacuum-cleaner lint.

Turn your compost pile with a shovel if it starts to have a foul odor. This means it's not getting enough air.