Compost is a nutrient-rich material formed as food scraps, leaves, and other organic waste decompose. Microorganisms, fungi, and earthworms break it down into a dark, crumbly substance that nourishes soil and supports plant growth.
Composting does more than cut down on waste — it makes your soil healthier, helps it hold moisture, and supports the tiny microbes that keep plants thriving. It also strengthens your soil, reducing erosion and keeping gardens and landscapes in better shape. When you compost, you’re not just feeding your plants, you’re helping restore your land.
We’ll explore everything you need to know about composting, from the science behind it to practical tips for starting your own compost pile.
How does composting work?
The magic of composting happens when billions of tiny microorganisms — bacteria, fungi, and other decomposers — feast on organic materials in a carefully orchestrated sequence. These hardworking microbes transform food scraps and yard waste into rich, valuable material through a multi-stage process.
For this natural recycling system to function effectively, these microorganisms need three essential elements:
- Carbon and nitrogen (browns and greens) in the right balance provide energy and building blocks for growth
- Water to maintain biological activity and help transport nutrients
- Oxygen to support aerobic decomposition and prevent smelly conditions
The composting process
First, the bacteria multiply rapidly, consuming simple sugars and proteins while moderately warming your pile. Then, as temperatures climb to 130 to 150 degrees, heat-loving bacteria take over, breaking down tougher materials and killing most pathogens and weed seeds.
Next, as easily digestible materials get consumed, the pile enters a cooling phase where fungi become more prominent. Finally, during maturation, complex materials continue breaking down. The end result is what gardeners often call “garden gold” — a dark, crumbly material rich in organic matter and nutrients.
This transformation timeline varies depending on your composting method and management — a well-maintained hot compost pile might finish in 3 to 4 weeks, while a more passive approach, known as cool composting, could take 6 to 12 months.
Read more about the benefits of lawn fertilization. Since composting can be a lengthy process and may be overwhelming for some homeowners, consider contacting a local Lawn Love pro to discuss other lawn fertilization options.
What you can and cannot compost
Successful composting depends on balancing two key ingredients: greens and browns. Nitrogen-rich greens (fruit scraps, vegetable peelings, and fresh grass clippings) feed microorganisms that accelerate decomposition. Carbon-heavy browns (dry leaves, cardboard, and paper) prevent excess moisture and control odors, creating the perfect environment for breaking down organic matter.
Understanding what belongs in your compost pile is essential for producing nutrient-rich soil amendment. By carefully selecting appropriate materials and excluding problematic ones, you’ll create compost that breaks down efficiently, remains pest-free, and provides maximum benefits to your lawn and garden.
The table below offers a quick look at what to use and what to avoid in your compost pile. For more information, read our complete guide: What Can and Cannot be Composted.
| What to compost | What to avoid |
| • Grass clippings • Leaves (shredded leaves break down faster) • Small twigs and branches (chopped into smaller pieces) • Dead plants and flowers (avoid diseased plants) • Wood chips and sawdust (from untreated wood) • Fruits and vegetables peels and scraps • Coffee grounds and coffee filters • Tea bags (remove plastic parts of it) • Eggshells (crushed for faster breakdown) • Paper towels and napkins (if not greasy) • Cardboard (shredded and free from coating or ink) • Newspaper (black-and-white only) | • Diseased or pest-infested plants • Large branches or logs • Invasive weeds • Meat, fish, and bones • Dairy products (milk, cheese, butter, yogurt) • Oily or greasy foodsPlastic, metal, or glass • Coated or glossy paper (magazines, laminated packaging) • Pet feces or litter • Harsh cleaning products or pesticides • Chemical-treated lawn clippings • Coal or charcoal ash |
How to compost
| Skill level: Beginner Length of project: Depending on your chosen method, it will take from 2 weeks to 2 years. Hot composting can break down material quickly, while cool composting may take several months. Estimated cost: $0 to $150, depending on whether you use free materials or buy a compost bin. |
Step 1: Choose your method
The first step in starting a compost pile is choosing your method: hot or cold composting.
Hot composting breaks down materials quickly, sometimes in just a few weeks, by maintaining high temperatures with frequent turning and the right mix of greens and browns.
Cold composting is the easier, low-maintenance option, where organic waste naturally decomposes over several months to two years with little effort.
Read more about other, less common composting methods:
Step 2: Pick a location
Choose a good spot for your compost pile. You can place it in the sun or shade, but partial shade is ideal to prevent the materials from drying out too quickly. Make sure it is easily accessible all year round and has good drainage. Having a water source nearby is helpful, too, as compost needs regular moisture.
Step 3: Build or buy a bin
You can buy a compost bin or make one yourself. DIY compost bins can be made from garbage cans, plastic containers, pallets, wood, chicken wire, metal sheets, and straw bales. All you need are some tools and materials and a tutorial to get started. If you prefer convenience, there are many ready-made compost bins available for purchase.
Read more about compost bins:
Step 4: Prepare your compost materials
Before adding materials to your compost, shred or chop larger pieces to help them break down faster. This step speeds up the process by creating a better environment for microorganisms to work. Aim for pieces about 1 to 2 inches in size.
My tip: Use kitchen scissors for soft food scraps, garden shears for woody materials, or your lawn mower to process large amounts of leaves.
Step 5: Start your compost pile
Begin with a layer of yard waste, also known as brown materials. Add 3 parts of brown materials (leaves, twigs, shredded newspaper, straw, wood chips, or shredded wood) for 1 part green material (fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells).
Layer your greens and browns like lasagna, ensuring your food scraps are covered by 4 to 8 inches of dry leaves or other browns. While there’s no set number of layers, aim for a 3x3x3-foot pile, a size that helps retain heat and moisture, creating the ideal conditions for decomposition.
My tip: Spray water between layers as you build the pile or add water at the end to make sure everything is damp.
Read more: How to Keep Pests Out of Your Compost Pile
Step 6: Maintain the right moisture level
Microorganisms in your compost need moisture to survive and move around. The ideal compost should feel like a wrung-out sponge, with 40% to 50% water. If it’s too dry, decomposition slows down. If it’s too wet, it can get smelly and stop breaking down properly.
My Tip: The best way to check moisture is to grab a handful and squeeze it. If one drop of water forms or falls, the moisture level is just right. If the compost is too dry, spray some water when layering and turning the pile. If it’s too wet, mix in dry materials like cardboard or leaves to balance it out.
Read more: How Often to Water Your Vegetable Garden (And More Watering Tips)
Step 7: Turn your compost pile
The frequency and method you use to turn your pile depends on whether you use hot or cool composting.
- Hot composting: You must turn the pile every 4 to 5 days to maintain airflow and ensure all materials reach high temperatures.
- Cool composting: This method breaks down more slowly, so turning the pile every 2 to 3 months is enough to keep the process going.
The chart below explains the 3 most common turning techniques.
| Turning technique | Description |
| Inside-out method | Moves the outer layers to the center and shifts central material outward, ensuring even heating and decomposition. |
| Layer flip method | Turns the pile section by section, exposing fresh material to oxygen for better aeration. |
| Berkeley method | A high-intensity hot composting method that requires turning every other day while maintaining temperatures of 135 to 150 degrees, producing compost in as little as 3 weeks. |
Step 8: Know when your compost is ready
To determine if your compost is finished and ready to use, check its texture, color, and smell. It should be dark, crumbly, and earthy, with no visible pieces of the original materials.
The time it takes to complete the composting process depends on the method used. Hot composting can be ready in 4 to 8 weeks during warm months, while cool composting may take several months to 2 years. If composting during winter, expect slower decomposition due to reduced microbial activity.
My tip: Try the bag test. Place a handful of compost in a sealed plastic bag for three days. If it smells sour or the bag expands, it’s still decomposing and needs more time.
How to use compost
Compost plays an important role in maintaining healthy soil. From mixing it into garden beds to using it as mulch or a top dressing for your lawn, there are many ways to make the most of compost in your yard:
- Flowers and vegetable beds: Mix compost into your garden soil to boost plant growth.
- Window boxes and container gardens: Add compost to potted plants for extra nutrients.
- Tree beds: Spread compost around the base of trees to enrich soil.
- Mulch: Spread compost around plants as a natural mulch to retain moisture, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature.
- Soil amendment: Mix compost into the soil to improve its texture and nutrient content.
- Lawn top dressing: Rake a thin layer of compost over your lawn to boost grass growth.
However, it’s important to remember that compost isn’t a complete replacement fertilizer. “Don’t consider compost a substitute for fertilizer in your garden, but rather a supplement. The nutrient release from compost is often too slow to supply all the nutrients necessary for good plant growth,” suggest the experts at the Iowa State University Extension.
Read more: How to Use Compost in Your Lawn and Garden
Common compost pile benefits
Composting isn’t just a way to eliminate kitchen scraps and yard waste, it’s a powerful tool for improving soil health, reducing waste, and fighting climate change.
“Composting is an integral element of waste management since around one-fifth of the materials in landfills are food and other decomposable materials,” explains the composting experts at the Marshall University Extension. “Unlike dumping them into landfills, this process reduces anaerobic methane emissions and offers various economic and ecological advantages.”
Composting has real, lasting benefits for your garden and the planet. Let’s take a look at them:
- Improves soil texture: Compost adds organic matter that helps soil retain water, making plants more drought-resistant. Even a small increase in organic matter can significantly boost water-holding capacity, reducing compaction, irrigation needs, and costs.
- Reduces waste disposal costs: Since food and yard scraps make up nearly 30% of household waste, composting reduces the amount sent to landfills, cutting disposal expenses.
- Keeps soil microorganisms healthy: Compost provides carbon that nourishes beneficial soil organisms, such as earthworms, which improve aeration and drainage while minimizing erosion.
- Reduces the need for commercial fertilizers: Compost enriches the soil with natural nutrients, improving its structure and microbial life.
- Supports healthier plants and prevents mineral deficit: Unlike synthetic fertilizers, compost is also rich in trace minerals like calcium, iron, and magnesium, helping plants grow stronger and preventing deficiencies like iron chlorosis.
- Reduces methane emissions: Composting prevents organic waste from decomposing anaerobically in landfills, which would otherwise produce methane, a powerful greenhouse gas contributing to climate change.
- Balances soil pH naturally: Compost acts as a pH buffer, gradually bringing acidic or alkaline soil closer to neutral without the risk of overcorrecting like lime or sulfur treatments.
- Reduces food waste: Instead of discarding food scraps, composting turns them into nutrient-rich garden material, saving money and reducing unnecessary waste.
FAQ about compost
Yes, combining compost with commercial fertilizer improves both soil health and plant growth. Compost enhances soil structure and moisture retention, while fertilizer provides concentrated nutrients and a quick boost. Together, they create a balanced environment for strong plants.
Read more about fertilizers:
• What is N-P-K? A Guide to Understanding Fertilizer Ratios
• What is Organic Fertilizer?
• Organic vs. Inorganic Fertilizers
• 5 Ways to Apply Fertilizer
Scrap gardening and composting both use food waste, but they are very different. Scrap gardening refers to putting viable vegetable waste like pieces of root veggies (carrots and sweet potatoes) or the bottom of lettuces or onions in water and later in the soil to grow new plants. Composting converts fruit and vegetable scraps into a nutrient-rich soil amendment.
Read more: A Beginner’s Guide to Scrap Gardening
Compost shouldn’t have a bad smell if done properly. A healthy compost pile smells earthy, like soil. Bad odors may happen when the pile is too wet, lacks airflow, or has too many food scraps.
Yes, compost can attract pests if not managed properly. To prevent this, avoid meat, dairy, and oily foods in your compost. Use a secure bin with a lid or fine mesh to keep animals out. Additionally, keep food scraps under dry leaves and other brown materials.
Read more: How to Keep Pests Out of Your Compost Pile
Find a lawn care professional near you
A healthy lawn and garden begin with rich, well-balanced soil. Composting is one of the best ways to enhance soil health, but it requires time and effort to manage. If you need assistance with your yard maintenance, LawnLove can connect you with local expert gardening pros to ensure your outdoor space thrives and remains beautiful.
Sources
- “The Do’s and Don’ts of Composting.” Iowa State University.
- “What is Composting?” Marshall State University.
Main Image Credit: hopsalka | Adobe Stock Free | License
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