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Introduction to Composting Composting is the decomposition of plant remains and other once-living materials to make an earthy, dark, crumbly substance that is excellent for adding to houseplants or enriching garden soil. It is the way to recycle your yard and kitchen wastes, and is a critical step in reducing the volume of garbage needlessly sent to landfills for disposal. It's easy to learn how to compost.

Composting for the Small Farmer - How to Make Fertilizer from Organic Waste and Learn how to Make and Use Compost Manure in Farming and UNDERSTANDING COMPOSTING By J. Walter Fitts & Jerry B. Fitts

Compost Standards for Erosion/Sediment Control [PDF] This document contains standard specifications for the use of a variety of organic materials as an erosion/sediment control blanket or berm.

Home Composting Primer Tips for the home composter. See also: Home Composting FAQ [PDF] More tips for the home composter.

Organic Soil Amendments [PDF] This paper, written by Dr. Francis Gouin, discusses how to establish soil conditions in residential settings for both existing and new construction sites. Soil testing, characteristics desirable for plant growth, and using compost to meet nutrient needs are highlighted.

The Science and Engineering of Composting Composting can be pursued at many different levels, from the gardener who likes to produce "black gold" to the operator of a multi-acre commercial composting facility. Gardeners who compost their own landscaping and food scraps can follow a few simple rules of thumb and needn't worry about complex formulas, chemical equations, or studies of microorganisms. These are, however, important considerations for municipal and commercial composting operations because of the need to ensure that the composting proceeds rapidly, doesn't cause odor or pest problems, and achieves temperatures high enough to kill pathogens. Some of the topics in the Science and Engineering section may be far too technical to be relevant to casual composters. On the other hand, some may be intriguing...

Agricultural Composting: A Feasibility Study for New York Farms - 1993 Supported by the NYS Dept. of Agriculture & Markets, this study explores equipment and labor costs, land and management requirements. Agricultural composting is experiencing a resurgence of activity, particularly in the Northeastern U.S. Three fundamental factors are driving this interest: environmental and community constraints on traditional manure management options, increased understanding of the agronomic benefits of compost utilization, and rising disposal costs for materials such as municipal yard waste and food processing wastes which might be managed for a profit in an agricultural setting. Although these factors are encouraging many farmers to re-evaluate composting, there are important tradeoffs to consider as well. Equipment and labor costs, land, and management requirements can be significant, and compost production and utilization techniques are not well established...

MSW Composting Fact Sheet Series - 1993 Seven fact sheets developed from a special issue of Biomass & Bioenergy, 4-6 pgs. each. Produced by the Cornell Waste Management Institute. 

On-Farm Composting Handbook - 1992 Comprehensive, up-to-date guide on many aspects of farm-scale composting. Produced by and available from the Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service (NRAES), Cornell University, 152 Riley-Robb Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853; 607-255-7654; 186 pgs,(NRAES-54). These pages are scanned images. We apologize for any difficulty you have in reading them. You can purchase a complete copy of the On Farm Composting Handbook from NRAES.

Composting (Journey to Forever): Garden guides often describe composting as "nature's way" of recycling. Not so -- you just don't ever find large amounts of organic matter with the correct carbon-nitrogen ratio, water content and aeration carefully piled up by bears or gorillas working away in the forests with a compost fork and a watering-can, leaving it cooking away at high temperatures and emitting jets of steam. Nature doesn't make compost. Nature mulches.

Worm Composting Worm composting is a method for recycling food waste into a rich, dark, earth-smelling soil conditioner. The great advantage of worm composting is that this can be done indoors and outdoors, thus allowing year round composting. It also provides apartment dwellers with a means of composting. In a nutshell, worm compost is made in a container filled with moistened bedding and redworms. Add your food waste for a period of time, and the worms and micro-organisms will eventually convert the entire contents into rich compost...

Innovative Uses of Compost - Disease Control for Plants and Animals: Professional growers are discovering that compost enriched soil can also help suppress diseases and ward off pests. These beneficial uses of compost can help growers save money, reduce their use of pesticides, and conserve natural resources. In the poultry industry, composting has also become a cost-effective method of mortality management. It destroys disease organisms and creates a nutrient-rich product that can be used or sold.

How to Make Compost, a Composting Guide Mostly on one long page, but very good article. Includes info on vermicomposting (composting with worms). At the bottom of the page there are links to more great composting articles. 

University of Nebraska Guide to Composting with Worms NOTE: The information is for the home vermicomposting enthusiast. This resources is not intended to be a reference for commercial bins or bins located in businesses, schools, and/or government agencies. Many gardeners compost both yard waste and kitchen waste with compost piles, sheet composting or some other method during the growing season. Fortunately, very little yard waste is generated during winter months when cold temperatures make composting difficult. However, usable kitchen waste is constantly being generated and must be disposed of. Vermicomposting is the process of using worms and micro-organisms to turn kitchen waste into a black, earthy-smelling, nutrient-rich humus. Printable .pdf version also available. See also: New Mexico State University Guide to Composting with Worms (PDF File)

Gardenweb Vermicomposting Forum 22 pages of Q&A, hints and tips from worm lovers.

NPR did this online article about making compost tea. Compost tea is more or less a liquid version of compost. You take your solid compost, and soak it in water and let the mixture sit around for a few hours or a few days. Then you pour the liquid through a screen, or through cheesecloth or something similar to strain out the solid material into a bucket. What you have then is compost tea. Compost tea is great, because it is a very mild, organic liquid fertilizer that provides beneficial live organisms that improve the soil where you use it. It doesn't burn plants like store bought fertilizers can. See also: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection page on how to make compost tea.

Construction Plan for a Home-built Rodent Resistant Single Bin Compost Box: Materials are available at most building supplies stores and will cost about $115. The box will take about 8 hours to build. The exact dimensions are used wherever possible, but the term “approximately” is used because actual width and thickness dimensions of cedar fencing and rough cedar vary from store to store and board to board.

Construction Plan for a Home-built Rodent Resistant Three Bin Compost System: Materials are available at most building supplies stores and will cost around $300 new. The system will take a weekend to build. Exact dimensions were used whenever possible, but the term “approximately” was used because the actual dimensions of cedar fencing and rough cedar vary from board to board. Redwood is another wood that could be used and is resistant to decay, or you can find excellent pieces of wood for free from the scrap pile found outside of most wood supply dealers. This system can easily handle 2,000 kg. every 6 months which produces around 700 kg of finished compost.

How to Compost.org Another fantastic site. "From beginners to experts this web site is designed to be a hub for all composting information. No matter what your interest is, you'll find something here worth you time. Our goal is to be the best resource on the internet for composting information. On our site you will find articles and links covering all topics about composting and organic gardening. We do not discriminate, if you have an composting article or tip please submit the information so we can post it for everyone to enjoy. If you know of a good link to your favorite composting web site or article send it to us!"

Composting- Getting down to paydirt Composting is easy. You don't need any special knowledge or equipment, and it takes only a little extra effort to collect your wastes and establish an active compost pile. Once you've got it going, it just about takes care of itself. A Canadian site. 

Composting At Home, HYG-1189-99 Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet: Compost returns organic matter to the soil in a usable form. Organic matter in the soil improves plant growth by: stimulating the growth of beneficial microorganisms, loosening heavy clay soils to allow better root penetration; improving the capacity to hold water and nutrients particularly in sandy soils; and adding essential nutrients to any soil. Improving your soil is the first step toward improving plant health. Healthy plants help clean air, conserve soil, and beautify landscapes...

WormWoman.com - Worm Composting (vermicomposting) resources The "Articles" page has some interesting but short and vague articles. The real gold here is the FREE Ezine and archived (PDF) articles. Really good stuff!

Composting with Redworms Whimsical layout contains surprising amount of detailed information.

Composting For Home Gardens Very concise article by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service

Organics & Composting Page on Earth 911 website.  Managing organic material at your home can not only decrease the amount of material that you send to the landfill, it can also help turn your organic waste into a landscape asset. In this section you will learn how and where to compost, the benefits of composting, and natural lawn care management for your home. 

Compost, Resources for Home Composting Another fantastic state-produced site with GOBS of FREE info. Check out the "On Farm Tours" 

Preventing Animal Nuisances in Small Scale Composting - A 2-page fact sheet describing how to "nuisance proof" your compost. 2005

Small Scale or Backyard Composting - This web site provides links to educational resources aimed at both people interested in composting at their homes, schools, or business and others who want to promote small scale composting. Updated April 2006

Hygienic Implications of Small Scale Composting in New York State - Final report of the Cold Compost Project. 2004

Co-Composter Model An Excel spreadsheet for the planning of composting systems for dairy manure and other organic wastes.
Improved Manure Management to Enhance Dairy Farm Viability, final report of the Co-Composter project.
Click here to acesss the Press Release. 2001.

Compost Science and Engineering Outlines the basic science and engineering principles involved in the composting process. There are a number of calculations and experiments you can try out on your own.

Using Organic Matter in the Garden (or pdf format) This publication describes some of the more familiar organic materials available to home gardeners, their effect on soil, plants, and soil life, and how they are commonly used. Topic sections include: Compost; Biosoids or Sludge; Manures; Green manures; Peat moss; Paper and other kinds of organic matter; Direct incorporation of organic matter; Mulch.

Compost Advanced Short Course Results of the recent Short Course held October 26-29, 2003

Small to Medium Scale Composting of Food Wastes in NYC Project conducted by Cornell Dept of Food Science and City Green of New York City to install and test different small- to medium-scale "in-vessel" composting technologies at a number of locations around New York City.

B.C. Agricultural Composting Handbook British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Published by British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture, is a handbook consisting of eighteen composting fact sheets. It provides a nice complement to the NRAES publication mentioned above. Topics include The Composting Process; Characteristics of On-Farm Composting Materials; Blending Materials for the Composting Process; Composting Methods; Site Selection; Co-Composting with Off-Farm Wastes; Economics; Using Compost; and others. The second printing, from 1998, is now located online in Adobe Acrobat; i.e., PDF downloads, leaflet by leaflet: Glossary of Composting Terms

Composting Dead Poultry - Author: Eldridge R. Collins, Jr., Extension Agricultural Engineer: An acceptable system of disposal for dead birds is essential to any well run poultry farm operation. Moreover, Virginia law requires that poultry producers have an approved means for disposing of dead birds. There are generally two categories of disposal problems: (1) Normal mortality, which is typically about 0.1 percent per day, but fluctuations up to 0.25 percent per day are not uncommon, and (2) Whole flock disposal. Research at the University of Maryland, and field application in other poultry states, have shown that normal mortality can be handled efficiently and safely by composting dead poultry. Composting is a natural process in which beneficial organisms--bacteria and fungi--reduce and transform organic wastes into a useful end product--compost--which can be used as a fertilizer and soil amendment. Although simple in concept and design, dead poultry composters require attention to detail and careful management. Effective July 1, 1992 properly constructed and properly managed dead bird composters are an acceptable method of handling normal flock mortality in Virginia. 

Composting Toilet Systems and Dog Waste Composter Step-By-Step - City Farmer

Worms for Composting (Vermicomposting) Vermicomposting is not really a type of composting. In fact, worms are likely to die if true composting, a heat-producing process, occurs. Vermicomposting can be seen rather as a form of livestock production. Many different materials can be used as feedstock for the worms. Animal manures are quite useable, most without any further preparation. Hog slurries, however, must be separated, and only the solids are fed to the worms. Poultry manures may contain excess ammonia and inorganic salts and so they must be processed to remove these substances which would be toxic to the worms. Plant residues, such as potato and brewery wastes, have also been tested as feedstocks for commercial systems.

Build your own… Compost bins from readily available (that means cheap) materials. Short page with a few obvious examples.

Worm Composting Worm compost is made in a container filled with moistened bedding and redworms. Add food waste and with assistance from micro-organisms, the worms will convert bedding and food waste into compost. Worm composting can be done year-round, indoors in schools, offices and homes. It is a natural method for recycling nutrients in food waste without odor. The resulting compost is a good soil conditioner for house plants, gardens and patio containers.

Composting Guide If you can do only one thing to improve your garden this year, build a compost pile. No matter your soil type, your climatic zone, or your choice of crops, composting will enhance your garden soil, resulting in stronger plants and healthier produce. Organic gardeners have long regarded compost as the cornerstone of garden soil fertility. Compost builds healthy, strong plants that are more resistant to pests and diseases. Making your own compost completes a natural cycle in your garden...

Build A Compost Bin - HGTV I Think this guy is more of a carpenter than a gardener, at heart. Anyway this is how you build a premium compost bin for yourself. Me, I'm sticking with the free pallet design... See also: Building A Compost Bin - Lee Reich and Project- Composter - Canadian Home Workshop for more carpentry intensive bins

Building Bins & Boxes For Yard Waste Compost - Michael P. Vogel, Ed.D. One of the best pages on the net for variety and easy, cheap bins. See also: How To Build A Compost Bin - University Of Missouri Extension

How To Build A Compost Bin - Homeowner.net No pics, but good, understandable text.

How To Make A Rotating Barrel Composter - The Rodale Guide To Composting This page took awhile to load - even with DSL, but the information is good. Detailed drawing and materials list, as well as instructions. Problem is, this bin seems more work than it's worth. Easy to use, once built, but why build it?

Three Bin Compost Bin - Rocket Scientists Nice and basic, but it still seems to be overly-engineered, to me. Great pictures!

Building and Maintaining Worm Compost Bins - AppalFor Nice text instructions, but no pics, schematics, etc.

How To Build A Worm Bin - Metro All text, but nicely basic.

WormCompost Cutesy pages contain a surprising amount of information - especially about bedding and food for the worms.

Worm Digest I haven't browsed extensively but this appears to be an online magazine about worms - with fairly scientific (but readable) articles. 

The Burrow This is the goldmine of info for wormfolk. LOTS of articles on what you need and want to know. Lots of archives, as well.

Latest Developments in Mid-to-Large Scale Vermicomposting by Rhonda Sherman-Huntoon: This overview of systems and operational projects describes factors which contribute to their success as well as the challenges that have forced sites to close.

Raising Earthworms Successfully [PDF] Earthworm growers can make money by selling earthworms and vermicompost or from tipping fees (charging to have organic materials normally disposed of in landfills "tipped" by a dump truck onto the worm grower’s site, to be fed to the earthworms). Vermicomposting is the process of turning organic debris into worm castings (manure). The focus is on processing the waste rather than creating ideal conditions for raising earthworms. Earthworm size and their reproductive rates are frequently lower than those of the same species raised in vermiculture systems. Large vermicomposting facilities typically make money primarily from tipping fees, followed by sales of castings, and then, in a distant third place, by sales of earthworms...

Worm Away Your Cafeteria Food Scraps! Included for school projects or for those who need a hint on where to get cheap (free) food for their own beds. Every day, schools and businesses throw leftover food and table scraps into the garbage. The garbage must be picked up and transported to a disposal facility-at significant financial and environmental cost. Through a process called vermicomposting, food scraps are fed to worms and transformed into a nutrient-rich compost for plants and gardens. Vermicomposting can help businesses and schools save money. By diverting food scraps from a dumpster to worm bins, it might be possible to switch to a smaller dumpster and thus reduce solid waste disposal fees. Through a school cafeteria vermicomposting program, students can learn a valuable, hands-on recyc1ing lesson: food doesn't have to be thrown away. Worm castings can be used to help plants grow in their school or home gardens and grounds. Although this publication focuses on setting up vermicomposting programs in schools, the same guidelines can be used by companies and other institutions that generate food scraps. The Seattle Kingdome and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences are two vermicomposting success stories discussed here... See also: Worms Can Recycle Your Garbage

New Worm Bin Harvest Method All simple text.

3 Easy Steps To Starting Your Own Worm "Ranch": A simple home vermicomposting system can be started by following these 5 easy steps...

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