Backyard Composting Guide

Welcome! Composting is simple, rewarding, and one of the best ways to care for our environment. By composting, you’re transforming food scraps into soil food. This guide gives you everything you need to get started and succeed.

Quick Start Checklist

  • Choose your system: Earth Machine bin or a two-chamber tumbler.

  • Collect Greens (food scraps, fresh yard waste).

  • Collect Browns (leaves, paper, sawdust).

  • Add scraps: 2 parts Browns : 1 part Greens.

  • Mix and aerate weekly.

  • Keep pile damp (like a wrung-out sponge).

  • Watch for smells or pests → troubleshoot if needed.

  • Harvest finished compost in 3–12 months.

Systems: How to Compost

Earth Machine (Stationary Bin)

  1. Place your bin on bare soil, in a partly sunny spot.

  2. Start with a base layer of sticks or straw for airflow.

  3. Each week, add 1 bucket of Greens + 2 buckets of Browns.

  4. Mix with a Wingdigger tool or a pitchfork:

    • Wingdigger: insert, twist, and pull up to bring air in.

    • Pitchfork/shovel/broom handle: stir from the sides, lifting bottom to top.

  5. Keep lid closed to avoid pests.

  6. Harvest finished compost from the bottom door.

Two-Chamber Tumbler

  1. Place tumbler in a sunny spot.

  2. Start filling one side with Greens + Browns.

  3. After 2–3 weeks, start using the other chamber for new scraps.

  4. Turn the tumbler 2–3 times per week to mix and aerate.

  5. When compost in the first chamber looks dark and crumbly, empty it and switch back.

What to Compost

Greens (Nitrogen-rich)

  • Fruit & veggie scraps

  • Coffee grounds & filters

  • Tea bags (plastic-free only)

  • Fresh grass clippings

  • Seaweed (rinse salt first)

  • Eggshells (crushed)

  • Garden weeds (before seeds form)

Browns (Carbon-rich)

  • Dry leaves (bag some in fall for year-round use)

  • Straw, hay

  • Shredded newspaper & cardboard (no glossy ink)

  • Paper towels & napkins (if not greasy)

  • Sawdust or wood chips (untreated wood)

  • Pine needles

  • Corn stalks

What NOT to Compost

  • Meat, fish, bones

  • Dairy, oils, or greasy food

  • Pet waste (cats, dogs)

  • Diseased plants

  • Invasive weeds (mugwort, bamboo, bittersweet)

  • Coal or charcoal ash

  • Plastic, glass, or treated wood

Balancing the Compost Triangle

  • Air → Turn pile weekly.

  • Moisture → Should feel like a wrung-out sponge. Add water if dry; add Browns if soggy.

  • Mix → Keep a 2:1 ratio of Browns to Greens.

Weekly Routine

  • Add scraps, always covering with Browns.

  • Mix with Wingdigger, pitchfork, or by spinning the tumbler.

  • Check moisture and adjust.

  • Look for critters or smells → troubleshoot if needed.

Seasonal Tips (Long Island)

  • Fall: Save leaves in bags to use as Browns all year.

  • Winter: Keep adding scraps. Pile may freeze, but it will restart in spring. Chop scraps small for faster breakdown.

  • Summer: Keep pile damp; dry heat may require watering.

  • Spring: Great time to harvest and use compost in gardens.

Troubleshooting

  • Smelly (rotten eggs) → Too wet or too many Greens. Add Browns and mix.

  • Dry & not breaking down → Add water and Greens.

  • Pests (raccoons, rodents) → Bury food scraps under Browns; keep lids secure.

  • Slow composting → Chop scraps smaller; turn more often.

When Compost is Done

  • Dark, crumbly, earthy smell.

  • No recognizable food scraps.

  • Texture like rich garden soil.

How to Use It

  • Spread on garden beds as mulch.

  • Mix into vegetable gardens before planting.

  • Sprinkle around trees and shrubs.

  • Add to potted plants for nutrients.

Fun Facts

  • 🌎 1/3 of all living organisms live in soil!

  • 🪱 One teaspoon of healthy compost has more microbes than there are people on Earth.

  • 🍂 Long Island yard waste makes up nearly 25% of household trash — composting keeps it out of landfills.

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