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If you’re an environmentalist, you’re probably considering building a compost pile in the near future. In all actually, this can be one of the greatest garden projects you can undertake to protect and preserve the environment for the next generation.

In its simplest terms, compost refers to organic matter that has been decomposed to provide nutrition for plants when maintaining a healthy garden.

More importantly, compost piles keep these resources away from the landfills. Before starting your own compost pile, however, there are things you should consider in order to be successful.

Layering
One of the essential factors to take into account when setting up a compost pile is the layering. It’s important to add in layers if you’re looking for a better quality of compost.

The more you add layers and the more you put them in order, the more you can ensure an effective decomposition process based on the organic matter you have.

Also, when you perform layering, you can aim for a balance of carbon and nitrogen materials, which are essential in making compost. More specifically, the layering can help make sure that your pile will have 60% carbon and 40% nitrogen.

The following are the three basic layers for your pile:

 Carbon – This will serve as your layer one, which includes materials such as leaves,
straw, sawdust, chopped corncobs, small twigs, and many more.
 Nitrogen – This is the second layer, which consists of materials such as fertilizers, garden debris, grass clippings, and many more.
 Topsoil – This is the third layer, which is composed of top soil. For this layer, be sure not to place sterile potting soils as they don’t usually contain the much-needed microbes for the decomposition process.

On the other hand, if you want to get the most out of layering to provide good quality compost, you can consider using a durable compost bin. It’s a container designed specifically for your organic waste to turn into compost.

Technically, the same process takes place in a compost pile, but if you’re looking to speed up the decomposition, using a compost bin can be a great idea. If you’re planning to buy one for your needs, make sure to read some online reviews from reliable websites like enviroinc.com to weigh your options.

Location
Another important thing to consider when building a compost pile is its location. This is because it can significantly affect the quality of the decomposition process of your compost. For example, there are some types of soil that tend to be more suitable for this purpose than others.

Therefore, if you want to keep the nutrients of the pile from leaching out, you should consider your compost pile’s location from the beginning.

When choosing a location, try to make sure that it’s accessible for when you add, remove, or return compost from the pile. Also, be sure to designate the compost pile far enough away from any structures to avoid any kind of rotting or decomposing of your house.

Finally, don’t forget to check your local ordinances to ensure you’re not violating any environmental and building laws in your area.

Timing
Although you can build your compost pile anytime of the year, there are specific times that are better than others. Therefore, if you want to get more favorable results from your pile, be sure to schedule accordingly.

For instance, you may want to start the setup of your pile during the fall season, because it’s the time of the year when both high-carbon materials and high-nitrogen resources are abundant.

Other seasons, such as spring or summer, may not be very good because only high-nitrogen materials are plentiful.

Things You Shouldn’t Use For Your Pile
Apart from layering, it’s also important that you know the things you should and shouldn’t use when building a compost pile. This information can help ensure your pile will not be wasted in the long run.

Generally, you can compost any organic waste you see around you, except for diseased plants or greasy materials. A good example to avoid using is food, like meat and cheese.

These will only lead to non- beneficial insects and rodent problems coming to your pile, because meat and cheese don’t decay properly.

On the other hand, diseased plants decay properly in a container, because they heat evenly and kills pathogens. But since you’re actually building a compost pile, you should consider the things that can affect the decomposition of the organic matter.

That way, you can avoid common compost pile mistakes that will put all your efforts into waste.

Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for information on how to make compost in your garden, then the tips mentioned above will definitely help. You should always remember that when it comes to building a compost pile, there’s nothing more important than making sure you’re doing it the
right way. In this manner, you can turn every organic material into a healthy compost that you can use for your garden needs.