| Key Takeaways |
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| • A compost pile needs 3 things: carbon-rich brown materials, nitrogen-rich green materials, and consistent moisture. • Your pile should be at least 3 feet × 3 feet × 3 feet to decompose materials efficiently. • Most compost is ready in 2 to 4 months when you turn the pile every 1 to 2 weeks and keep it damp. |
If you’re new to gardening, learning how to compost can feel intimidating with its ratios, temperatures, and turning schedules. It’s simpler than it sounds.
To start a compost pile, layer brown materials (dry leaves, cardboard) with green materials (food scraps, grass) on bare ground, keep it damp, and turn it every 1 or 2 weeks. Below, we’ll walk you through every step.
And if you’d rather invest your time in composting than mowing the lawn, LawnStarter connects you with lawn mowing pros who can take that task off your hands.
Why You Should Try Composting
Composting benefits your lawn and garden:
For lawns: Compost adds nutrients and, unlike fertilizer, it also rebuilds soil structure. In a University of Wisconsin–Madison study, compost loosened the soil and boosted its water-holding capacity by about 50%, so treated lawns could go an extra day between waterings.
For the environment: The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that 30% to 40% of the food supply becomes waste and ends up in landfills.
For your wallet: The EPA estimates food waste costs the average American $728 per year. Turn that waste into valuable soil amendments instead.
See Related: Beyond the Bin: U.S. Composting Stats, Policies, and Roadblocks
What Is Composting?
Basically, organic composting is a natural process in which a pile of yard waste and kitchen scraps decomposes into organic matter we call compost. Mix the right ingredients in the right proportions, and bacteria, fungi, and earthworms will produce a material praised as “black gold.” This is added to soil to improve its structure, fertility, and water-holding capacity.
How Does Composting Happen?
The composting process requires 5 components:
Carbon (C)
Nitrogen (N)
Moisture
Oxygen (O2)
Microorganisms
With moisture and oxygen present, these microorganisms break the materials down into humus. A well-managed compost pile could be ready in 2 to 4 months. You can take many steps to move things along and get your lawn and garden in shape more quickly.
How to Start a Compost Pile
Learning how to start a compost pile is easier than it looks. The simplest method is a pile directly on bare ground. No bin required.
Choose a suitable spot: Easy to access year-round, well-drained, near a water source, and in partial sun or shade. Avoid concrete or paved surfaces, which block drainage and earthworm access.
Your pile should follow recommended compost pile size and be at least 3 feet × 3 feet × 3 feet. Anything smaller won’t generate enough internal heat to break down materials efficiently.
Follow these steps:
Build a base layer of straw or twigs a few inches deep. This creates airflow under the pile and prevents waterlogging.
Add alternating layers of brown and green materials. Think of it as 2 buckets of dry leaves for every 1 bucket of food scraps. Layer them like a lasagna: Browns, then greens, then browns again.
Incorporate a nitrogen source to kick-start decomposition. A handful of finished compost or nitrogen fertilizer works well.
Moisten the pile. The materials should feel like a damp sponge — wet enough that you can feel the water, but not so wet that you can squeeze water out.
Turn the pile every 1 to 2 weeks using a pitchfork. This moves cooler outer material to the hot center and gives microorganisms the oxygen they need.
What to Compost
Most materials in compost piles can be classified as brown or green:
| Material Type | What They Provide | Examples |
| Brown (Carbon) | Energy for microorganisms, fluffy structure | Dry leaves, branches, sawdust, shredded newspaper, pine needles |
| Green (Nitrogen) | Proteins and amino acids for decomposition | Food scraps, coffee grounds, grass clippings, vegetable peels |
Brown materials are carbon-rich items that provide energy to microorganisms and create the pile’s structure. Typical brown items are wood-based or fibrous: dry leaves, branches, stems, sawdust, tree bark, shredded newspaper, corn stalks, wood ash, and pine needles.
Green materials are nitrogen-based waste materials that supply proteins for decomposition. Food scraps, coffee grounds, green leaves, and grass clippings are excellent nitrogen-rich green materials (avoid manure in home piles).
Pro Tip: Aim for a brown-green ratio of roughly 2/3 browns to 1/3 greens by volume.
What Not to Compost
Avoid adding animal products and fats to your compost. The 3 most important categories to keep out:
| Material Type | Why to Exclude | Examples |
| Animal byproducts | Create foul odors and invite pests | Dairy products, bones, meat, fish |
| Human and pet waste | Introduces harmful pathogens that survive most home compost temperatures | Cat or dog litter |
| Foods rich in fat and oil | They block oxygen, killing the microbes, and can attract pests | Mayonnaise, peanut butter, salad dressing, or vegetable oils |
Other types of waste to avoid:
Garden waste treated with pesticides
Garden waste from sick plants
Weeds
Plastics (even biodegradable ones)
Pressure-treated wood
Leaves or twigs from black walnut trees
Raspberry brambles
Note: To kill most weed seeds, materials must reach 140 degrees for 1 to 3 hours. If your pile won’t get this hot, keep weeds out.
See Related:
How to Maintain Your Compost Pile
Focus on 3 key habits to keep your pile active and healthy.
Turn the pile regularly: Every 1 to 2 weeks with a pitchfork. Skipping turns for more than 3 to 4 weeks can stall the pile and cause odors.
Manage moisture levels: Your pile should feel like a damp sponge. Cover it during heavy rain and add water during dry spells.
Troubleshooting common problems:
Pile not heating up: Add more nitrogen-rich green materials or chop materials into smaller pieces.
Too many brown materials: Add a handful of nitrogen fertilizer.
Bad smell: Turn the pile for better air circulation, or add dry brown materials if it’s too wet.
Additional tips:
Chop materials: Smaller pieces decompose faster.
Add calcium: Pulverized eggshells boost calcium in finished compost.
Bury food waste: Don’t leave it at the top where it can attract pests.
Keep the ratio steady: Add materials as they come, staying near 2/3 browns to 1/3 greens, and avoid dumping large amounts at once.
Different Ways to Compost
| Method | Location | Best For |
| Piling | Outdoor | Large yards with space |
| Open bins | Outdoor | Easy access and turning |
| Enclosed bins | Outdoor | Reducing sight and smell |
| Tumblers | Outdoor | Easy turning and fast results |
| Bokashi | Indoor or Outdoor | Fermenting meat and dairy scraps |
| Vermicomposting | Indoor | Apartments and small spaces |
Outdoor Composting Methods
Piling: Heap and turn periodically. Full sun speeds it up.
Composting bins: Open bins are partial structures that ventilate and give easy access for turning. Enclosed bins use a lid to hide both sight and smell.
Tumblers: A cylindrical enclosed bin with a handle that allows easy turning. The simplest way to make batch compost.
Bokashi composting: Uses fermentation instead of heat and oxygen. Layer scraps (even meat and dairy) with inoculated bran in a sealed bucket, ferment for 2 weeks, then bury in the ground to finish. Good for small space gardening.
Indoor Composting Methods
Vermicomposting, or worm composting, uses red wiggler worms in a specialized indoor bin to break down kitchen scraps into nutrient-rich earthworm castings. It’s the best method for apartment dwellers, and the finished castings are excellent for houseplants and container gardens.
See Related: 5 Best Compost Bins [Reviews]
How to Tell When Your Compost Is Ready
Signs your compost is ready (aim for all 4):
Temperature drops: The pile cools to ambient temperature and no longer heats up after turning.
Color and texture: Material looks and crumbles like dark, rich soil.
Smell: Has a deep, earthy aroma like a forest floor, not rot.
Original materials unrecognizable: You can no longer identify individual scraps.
Most compost is ready in 2 to 4 months with regular turning. If it has been longer, add more green materials and turn more frequently.
How to use compost in your yard:
Topdress lawns with 1/8 to 1/2 inch after spring or fall aeration. (Don’t own an aerator? A LawnStarter aeration pro can handle that step before you topdress.)
Mix 2-4 inches into garden, flowerbed, and new lawn soil.
Spread 1-4 inches as mulch in gardens and flowerbeds, around trees and shrubs, or on slopes.
See Related: Topdressing a Lawn: The Benefits and How to Do It
When to Start a Compost Pile
Autumn is the best time to start. You’ll have an abundance of brown materials (fallen leaves, garden debris) ready to go, and the pile will slowly break down over winter into usable compost by spring. (Raking up more leaves than your pile can use? LawnStarter’s leaf removal pros can clear the rest.)
That said, you can start any time of year. Even in summer, a well-watered pile will decompose quickly.
FAQs
Yes, and bare ground is actually the better choice. Setting your pile directly on soil lets earthworms and other beneficial organisms move up into the materials, and it lets excess water drain away instead of pooling.
Yes, that’s called topdressing, and it’s one of the best things you can do for an established lawn or garden bed. Spread a thin layer of finished compost right over the soil and let it work its way down on its own.
A well-maintained pile should have an earthy smell. Bad odors usually mean the pile is packed too tight or is too wet. Turn it to get more air circulating, and if it’s soggy, mix in some dry brown material.
Let LawnStarter Handle the Rest
Compost is one of the best things you can do for your soil, but a few of the steps around it are harder to DIY. Aerating before you topdress the lawn takes equipment most homeowners don’t own, and because compost is a light feeder, your turf will still want regular fertilization and weed control to look its best.
That’s where LawnStarter comes in. LawnStarter connects you with vetted local pros for aeration and overseeding, lawn treatment, and seasonal leaf removal, plus mowing and edging when you’d rather spend the weekend on your compost pile than behind a mower.
Typical mowing costs run $43 to $70 per visit, with instant online quotes for each of the services linked above, including mowing. You do the composting. We’ll handle the rest.
Read Next: How to Compost Grass Clippings: 3 Easy Methods
Main Image: Compost bins in a yard made of wood. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
