In this video, This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook and composting specialist Ann McGovern show how to transform kitchen scraps and yard waste into highly prized compost.
Steps:
1. Make a composting bin by driving four steel stakes into the ground, and then encircling the stakes with welded-wire fencing.
2. Fill the compost bin with leaves, grass clippings, and vegetables and fruit scraps.
3. Don’t compost meat, dairy products, or cat or dog manure.
4. Rather than compost leaves, use them to mulch around plants and trees.
5. A rotating composting bin has a geared crank for easily mixing the compost.
6. Build a bin for composting from four wooden pallets. The slatted sides promote air circulation and the open top allows rainwater to hydrate the compost. Be sure pallets are made of untreated wood.
7. Plastic composting bins available in the wide range of sizes and styles. Choose one that’s at least one cubic yard in size. Anything smaller will freeze during winter, halting the composting process.
8. After adding grass clippings and food scraps to the bin, always cover them with a layer of leaves, so it doesn’t smell and attract flies.
9. Bin with a hard cover will help keep out rodents, but be sure it has drainage holes for allowing in rainwater.
10. Call your local town hall and ask if they provide composting bins at a discounted price.
