Start composting
Leaves, grass clippings and kitchen scraps go in. A few months later, dark, crumbly compost comes out for your garden. Here's the video that hooks everyone, and everything you need for your first pile.
Space neededA small corner of the yard
First projectA pile in a wire-ring bin
Skill levelEasy to start
Good forGardeners, anyone with a yard
The video that hooks everyone
The simplest way to make a compost pile
A grower keeps composting simple: a fresh heap of green grass clippings and leaves on one side, a pile of dark, finished compost on the other. Press play and see why it hooks people.
Is this your video? Claim your page and share in the sales
Tool list
What you need to start
Everything you need for your first project, and nothing you don't. It's a roll of wire, a fork and a bucket. Everything else can wait until your first batch is done.
Starter kit
01Welded wire fencing, about 10 ftRolled into a ring about 3 ft across. Your bin.
02Zip ties or wireTo close the ring.
03Garden fork or pitchforkFor turning the pile.
04Kitchen caddy with a lidCollects scraps on the counter.
05Garden glovesFor handling scraps and sticks.
06Garden hose or watering canKeeps the pile damp.
07Compost thermometerTells you if the pile is heating up.
08BrownsDry leaves, straw or torn plain cardboard. Free in fall.
09GreensGrass clippings and kitchen scraps.
The manual tells you what to look for when you buy each one.
- 1Too many greensA pile of only grass and scraps turns slimy and smelly. Add browns until it smells earthy again.
- 2Letting it dry outA dry pile stops working. Keep it as damp as a wrung-out sponge.
- 3Meat, dairy and pet wasteThese attract pests and can carry germs. Keep them out of a backyard pile.
