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Making and using your own compost is an easy and reasonable way to condition and add beneficial nutrients to your soil. According to "Burpee: Complete Gardener", published by Macmillan, a compost pile can be made on level ground where there is good drainage, it can be enclosed in a bin that has been purchased, or you can build one yourself. The book suggests that chicken wire, window screen, and strips of wood from pallets or two-by-fours are useful materials for making a compost bin. Just make sure it is at least three feet tall and three feet in diameter to allow enough room for decompostion.
"Burpee: Complete Gardener" advises against using unhealthy vegetables and fruits, corncobs that aren't shredded, any citrus fruits or peels, charcoal, coal, weeds having seeds, or manure from humans and domestic animals. It says your compost pile should not have a bad odor or attract unwanted animals. Also, meats or dairy products should not be included in your compost pile.
The same book advises that the compost pile should be comprised of high-nitrogen and high-carbon products which are layerd alternately. It explains that high-nitrogen products are damp and green. For example, grass, vegetable and fruit peelings, manure, dead plants, and weeds are all high-nitrogen products. High-carbon products are dried out and brown such as hay and leaves. Also, completed compost, soil, or manure added to the layers will help the decompostion process. Your compost pile needs to be damp. Make sure it doesn't dry out or become too wet. It can be covered with a plastic sheet to keep it from becoming waterlogged. The cover will also help retain heat and keep in moisture. The book goes on to say that turning your compost pile each month will help the decompositon process. This process could take as little as four months or as long as twelve months. When the compost becomes dark brown to black in color, it is ready to use.
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