How to Compost in a Small Outdoor Space

• Begin by acquiring two different receptacles: one will be your outdoor receptacle and the other, much smaller vessel, will contain the compost indoors. Your outside composting receptacle can be any number of things, but your kitchen compost should be able to hold a couple of gallons or at least a few days' worth of scraps and should have a tight-fitting lid.
  
  There are many different types of compost bins on the market, so choose the one that best suits your gardening lifestyle and your composting habits. Many models are completely contained, like a garbage can, and come with a tight fitting lid and punctured sides. You can make your own bin with a roll of chicken wire. According to the Cornell University Waste Management Institute, a bin size of one cubic meter will maintain heat and air circulation and keep your compost at a temperature warm enough to kill any seeds from yard waste that you don't want spreading when you spread your compost later.
  
  

Mix Browns and Greens

• The key to great compost is to mix brown and green ingredients to achieve the right amount of carbon and nitrogen and keep your composting organisms happy. Brown ingredients supply carbon to your compost and are primarily dead items like straw or hay, dead leaves, newspaper, egg cartons, and even paper towels. About 2/3 of your compost should be brown ingredients and the other third should be green. Green ingredients provide the nitrogen your compost mix needs, and are mostly living things like grass clippings and kitchen scraps. By layering your brown and green ingredients, you will achieve the right airflow through your pile, which in turn will allow aerobic microbes to dominate and break things down quickly. Keep animal products-- with the exception of eggshells, which are a neutral ingredient--out of the compost. These will attract animals and other pests.
  
  

Moisture

• Remember to keep compost loose and moist. Squeeze a handful of your compost and if any liquid comes out, you have too much moisture. Compost should feel damp, like a wrung-out sponge. Too much moisture doesn't allow air to circulate, and adding dry ingredients will loosen things up a bit and get some air in there. If your compost is too dry, your mix won't have the water it needs to do its job and you will notice that your scraps aren't breaking down as quickly as you would like. In this case, you'll need to add water using a watering can. It also helps to cover about every foot of material with a layer of straw. This way, you won't have to turn your pile because the straw will keep it porous and keep the air and heat circulating.
  
  

Bad Smells

• If your compost pile smells strongly of rotten eggs (sulfur), it is too moist and requires additional dry, coarse material, like straw or hay. Too much nitrogen, on the other hand, will cause your compost to reek of ammonia, and in this case you need to add more brown material to supply additional carbon.
  
  

Vermicomposting

• City dwellers might not have access to a backyard, but composting is still an option even if you live in an apartment. Vermicomposting is the process of raising worms in a small composting bin that usually is placed in the kitchen or someplace where it won't freeze or overheat. By depositing your kitchen scraps and egg cartons (worms love egg cartons) into the bin, you are feeding worms that in turn will provide you with superb humus that makes a great addition to any potted plant.
  
  Make a worm bin with a plastic or wood container with a tight-fitting lid, 1 foot deep by 2 feet long by 3 feet wide. Fill your worm home ¾ full with bedding. Use shredded black and white newspaper, leaves, wet straw and some soil to keep it cool and moist. Purchase some worms or pluck some out of a backyard compost pile. Red worms and brandling worms are the best worms for the job because they thrive at higher temperatures than earthworms, which can't live in temperatures above 90 degrees F. Start with ½ to 1 lb. of worms, place them on top of the bedding and they will burrow in. Place your kitchen scraps on top of the pile and watch them disappear.
  
  Every one to three months, add fresh bedding. It should be moist, like a wrung-out sponge. You will learn your worms' eating habits by observation, so change their diet according to how productive they are.
  
  

Considerations and Tips

• If you choose to compost in a public space, such as your rooftop or an alleyway, check with your landlord before you begin and make sure that you are not breaking any building or city ordinances. If you are worried about offending any of your neighbors with your compost--although healthy compost gives off little to no odor at all--check with them before you begin, and purchase a receptacle with a tight-fitting lid.
  
  Chop your kitchen scraps into small pieces before adding them to the compost.
  
  Straw is better than hay because hay generally contains seeds; however, if your compost is hot enough, it will kill any seeds in the hay as well as seeds in any perennial weeds you might throw in. That said, if your compost's temperature is not at least 140 degrees, avoid using hay and avoid tossing in weeds which haven't yet gone to seed. .
  
  Plastic worm homes may need more bedding to absorb extra moisture, while wooden ones may need more moisture.
  
  Some cities, including New York City and Los Angeles sell discounted composting bins from time to time to help their residents get started.