To see more tips on composting or a look at some accessories like kitchen compost containers or leaf shredders, or just learn more about all sorts of gardening and garden tools go to howtogardenguide.com
For most gardeners we want to have more compost than is available. Compost is a great addition to the soil for a variety of reasons. Compost improves the soil drainage while it retains the water better in dry periods. Soil pH is buffered by compost, so the resultant soil pH is closer to about 6.5. Sifted compost is a good seed starting medium, great for those small seeds like carrots.
While the ratio of high carbon to high nitrogen materials doesn't have to be exact, it does help to make sure that we don't have too much of one or the other. You need to avoid using all one type of material like lawn clippings or leaves. Get about an even mixture of green materials to get the nitrogen boost, but enough brown materials to buffer the heat of the pile.
Breaking down the physical size of the pieces of compost material for your pile will help speed it up. This reduces the breakdown needed by the pile, and at the same time lets more of the internal structure of the material be exposed to the microbes. Cut up large pieces with a pruner if necessary, use a lawn mower to break down large piles. You may want to buy a small chipper shredder to do a thorough job.
A batch approach works best for fast compost. Once you have a pile working, start another pile or keep your kitchen waste in a kitchen compost pail. Try putting a smaller bin or pail near the back door, and save up the kitchen materials for a larger batch to process.
The more often you can turn the pile, the more active it will be and the faster the compost will break down. This has the dual advantage of bringing fresh composted material into the hotter center of the pile, while improving the air flow throughout the pile as well, refreshing the oxygen supply to the microbial activity in the hot middle of the pile.
The ideal moisture level is a pile that is like a damp cloth. It should not be soaked, as that can cause a slimy, smelly pile, and too little moisture will just bring the activity of the pile to a stop. With this in mind, make sure that you can cover the compost pile when the rainy season arrives. Give these steps a try and see if you don't start getting compost much more quickly in your compost pile.
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