What Is a Compost Bed?

Mixed Compost Approach

• Choose a shady area that is near a water source as a place for the compost bed. Add brown and green material to the bed as it becomes available. Moisten the bed as dry materials are added. After the bed becomes established, mix in green matter, such as grass clippings. Kitchen scraps, such as fruits and vegetable waste, can be added but they need to be buried under 10 inches of compost. When the material on the bottom of the bed turns dark brown, the compost is ready to use.

  The compost will be ready to use in between two months and two years. To use the compost, harvest it from the bottom of the bed up.to the top. Once material has been reached that is not composted, stop harvesting it and let it the bed finish composting.

Layered Compost Approach

• Place the bed in a shady location near a water source. Lay down 6 inches of brown material. Top this layer with 3 inches of green material. Finish this layer with a little soil or compost. Mix the two layers lightly with a shovel or by hand. Top this with a 3-inch layer of brown material and add water until the brown layer is evenly moist. Move the brown material toward the inside of the bed and mix every week. Continue to mix the bed every week until the bed no longer heats ups. The compost will be ready in one to four months. Once ready, let the compost rest for two weeks before using it.

Compost Sandwich

• A compost sandwich is a compost bed that can be created in a raised bed or simply on top of the garden soil. To begin this process, lay a 2-inch layer of cardboard and top with a layer of newspaper. Water this layer well before moving on to the next layer. Next, add a layer of green material and top with a layer of topsoil. Water in between each layer. Repeat the layers again and then let the compost set until the next growing season.

  With this type of compost bed, you can plant your garden directly in the compost the next gardening season.

Indoor Compost

• Take a small plastic garbage can and drill several 1/2-inch diameter holes in the bottom of the can. Take a larger can and place a brick in the bottom. Place a layer of soil or wood chips around the brick. Set the smaller can on top of the brick. Cover the two cans with the lid from the larger can. Wrap the larger can with insulation. Place green and brown material in the smaller can. This compost will be ready to use in two to five weeks.