Starting Compost Heaps

Starting Compost Heaps
Hi. This is Yolanda Vanveen on behalf of Expert Village. In this series, we have learned all about composting. We've learned that we can use lots of materials that are around us every day in our compost heap. But now that we've got all of our materials, how do we put them in our compost heap. My easy rule is "mix everything up." There's some people that say you should layer your leaves and grass clippings and put them in layers like a lasagna, but my theory is mix it all up. And, according to the WSU master gardening program (which I've pretty much followed through this video), they agree that it's important that you mix everything that you compost together. That way you've got your grass clippings with your leaves that are brown and it gets aerated and it doesn't smell and it seems to compost all together. So, to start your compost heap, whether it is small or large, just collect everything as needed and add it to your compost heap. It's as easy as that. You can find a part of your yard that's behind a tree or in the back part where you're not sitting all day, looking at it and start your compost heap right there. That's always a good choice. Because eventually, I'm going to make a flower bed right here and I'm pretty excited about that because I think in a year, it's going to be ready. Or, if you have a small garden, all you need is a plastic box, but I like to have lots of holes. So, any kind of tub or even a garbage can, but the key is that it needs air; so drill. Get that power drill out again, and drill all kinds of holes in whatever you are going to put your compost in. Even if it's just a plastic tote, just drill a bunch of holes in it and all of a sudden, you've got a great compost heap. Next we'll talk about how to add your kitchen fruits and vegetables to your compost heap.