Olivia for the Ocean

Composting is the process of breaking down food and plant items (organic matter) into a soil nutrient. There are many types of composting, but there are three main types you can have at home. Before we dive into the three types, let’s talk about why you might want to compost at home.

Benefits of Composting

When food or other organic compounds decompose in a landfill, it generally does so in an airless environment. It’s airless because landfills are continuing compressed by machinery to fit more trash in. So, items get buried.

When food breaks down in an airless environment, it releases methane which is 30 times worse than carbon dioxide in terms of greenhouse gases. So, letting your food break down in a compost is a great way to help fight climate change.

Also, once the compost is finished breaking down, it can be added to your plants to boost their nutrients! So, let’s dive into the three main types, shall we?

Traditional Compost

• Pros: Easy
• Cons: Needs a large outdoor space, Slower breakdown
• Can add: Vegetable & fruit scraps, newspaper, yard clippings
• Cannot add: Meat & dairy

A traditional compost can be as simple as a pile in your backyard. For composting to work, it needs food scraps (greens), dried leaves or paper (browns), heat, and air.

When adding items to the compost, you want to have the right balance of greens and browns. The general guideline is a 1:2 ratio of greens to browns. If you have too many greens, the compost will start to smell. If you have too many browns, there won’t be enough moisture to help breakdown the greens.

Finally, you need to aerate the pile by stirring or flipping the compost. This helps the food break down.

Vermicompost

• Pros: Faster breakdown
• Cons: Requires set-up, limits on type of foods
• Can add: Vegetable & fruit scraps, newspaper, yard clippings
• Cannot add: Meat, dairy, citrus fruits, onions

Vermicompost uses red wiggler worms to help break down the food. The worms speed up the process and their castings (poop) are a wonderful source of nutrients for your plants.

One of the great things about vermicomposting is that it can be done indoors or in a small space. So, this type of composting is ideal for apartments or small houses with little outdoor space.

You can make your own worm bin by drilling some air holes in a plastic storage container you already have at home.

Or you can purchase a ready-made worm bin. I bought this one years ago and love it! It comes with a handy book to help you start and maintain your compost.

Having the layers makes it easier to remove finished compost. You start by putting the bedding and worms in the bottom layer, then add a layer of food scraps and newspaper to the top. The worms will eat their way to the upper layers.

I’ve purchased red wiggler worms at pet stores before but they usually have a very small amount. You can purchase a large quantity of worms from Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm online and they are guaranteed to arrive alive.

One of the few downsides to vermicomposting is that you cannot add citrus fruits, onions, or anything spicy. Since the worm’s skin is basically like a mucus membrane, these types of foods would burn their skin.

Bokashi Compost

• Pros: Can accept meat & dairy
• Cons: Requires set-up
• Can add: Vegetable & fruit scraps, newspaper, yard clippings, meat, dairy
• Cannot add: liquids like milk & juice, bones,

Bokashi composting is a type of airless composting that ferments your food scraps. What draws people to Bokashi composting is that you can compost meat whereas in vermicomposting or traditional composting you can’t.

With a Bokashi compost you fill the bucket, add the bran inoculated with bacteria and seal it for ten to twelve days. The bacteria breaks down the scraps.

What do you think? Are you ready to try one of these composts? If you already compost at home, tell me your tips and tricks in the comments!

For related and random posts, check out:

• 10 Vegetables You Can Regrow From Scraps
• Beginner’s Guide to Minimalism