Composting

The Best Fertilizer
You'll Ever Use
Costs You Nothing.

Those vegetable scraps going in your trash? They're worth more than any bag of fertilizer at the garden center.

Composting sounds complicated until you actually start. Then you realize it's just controlled rot — and you get to choose how fast. Here's everything you need to know, nothing you don't.

Works in any space No chemistry degree needed Better than store-bought

Pick Your Method

3 Ways to Compost

No wrong answer — it depends on your space, your patience, and how fast you want results.

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Fastest Results

Tumbling Composter

A sealed barrel that you spin to mix. The heat builds up fast inside, which accelerates breakdown and kills weed seeds. Best for people who want finished compost in weeks, not months.

Pros

✓Compost ready in 2–6 weeks
✓No pests — fully enclosed
✓Clean, tidy, minimal smell

Cons

✗Higher upfront cost ($80–$130)
✗Limited volume per batch

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Set It and Mostly Forget It

Open Compost Bin

A simple enclosure — wire, wood, or plastic — where you pile materials and let nature do the work. Slower than a tumbler but virtually free to set up. The most common backyard method, for good reason.

Pros

✓Cheapest option (can be free)
✓Large capacity
✓Very low maintenance

Cons

✗Takes 3–12 months
✗Needs outdoor space

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Indoor / Apartment Friendly

Vermicomposting

Red wigglers eat your scraps and produce worm castings — the richest compost you can get. Works in a bin under your sink or in a closet. Yes, you keep worms. No, it doesn't smell if done right.

Pros

✓Works indoors, year-round
✓Premium-quality castings
✓Small footprint

Cons

✗You need to buy worms
✗More rules on what you feed them

Gear That Earns Its Place

Composting Products We Actually Use

One pick per category. No fluff, no filler.

Best Tumbler

FCMP Outdoor Tumbling Composter

4.5 ⭐ · 12,000+ reviews

Dual-chamber means you're always adding to one side while the other finishes. Ready in 2–4 weeks when managed well. The bar inside breaks up clumps as you spin. Set it up once, use it forever.

$109.99 View on Amazon

Countertop Bin

OXO Good Grips Compost Bin

4.6 ⭐ · 15,000+ reviews

The countertop bin I keep next to my cutting board. Doesn't smell. Holds a week of scraps easily. The handle is comfortable, the lid seals well, and it cleans up in the dishwasher. Ditch the old yogurt container.

$29.99 View on Amazon

Hot Composters

Compost Thermometer — Reotemp

4.7 ⭐ · 3,000+ reviews

Hot compost needs to hit 130–160°F to kill weed seeds and pathogens. This tells you exactly when you're there. Long stem reaches the center of the pile where the heat is. A small upgrade that makes a real difference.

$26.99 View on Amazon

Vermicompost Starter

Uncle Jim's 250 Count Red Wigglers

4.4 ⭐ · 5,000+ reviews

Red wigglers to start your vermicompost bin. Ships alive and healthy — Uncle Jim's has been doing this a long time and it shows. They're voracious eaters and will double their population in a few months if conditions are right.

$34.99 View on Amazon

Best Open Bin

Geobin Composting System

4.5 ⭐ · 8,000+ reviews

Expandable open bin for a backyard pile. No tools to assemble, nothing to maintain. Unroll it, clip it shut, start filling it. Honest, effective, cheap — exactly what a compost bin should be. Adjust the size as your pile grows.

$27.99 View on Amazon

Speed Things Up

Jobe's Organics Compost Starter

4.4 ⭐ · 7,000+ reviews

Speeds up a slow pile. Works especially well in fall when temperatures drop and decomposition slows down. Sprinkle it between layers when you add fresh material. OMRI listed — safe for organic gardens.

$9.99 View on Amazon

Know Your Materials

What Goes In. What Stays Out.

Composting is forgiving — but a few things will genuinely ruin your pile or attract pests. Here's the short version.

Goes In

Greens (Nitrogen — wet, fresh)

✓ Vegetable and fruit scraps
✓ Coffee grounds and paper filters
✓ Grass clippings (thin layers)
✓ Fresh plant trimmings
✓ Tea bags (remove staples)
✓ Eggshells (great for calcium)

Browns (Carbon — dry, woody)

✓ Dried leaves
✓ Cardboard (no glossy coating)
✓ Paper and newspaper
✓ Straw
✓ Small wood chips
✓ Cornstalks and dry plant stems

Stays Out

Never Compost These

✗ Meat, fish, and bones
✗ Dairy products (milk, cheese)
✗ Oils and greasy food
✗ Dog or cat waste
✗ Diseased plants
✗ Treated or painted wood
✗ Weeds that have gone to seed
✗ Coal ash (wood ash is fine in small amounts)

Why it matters: Meat and dairy attract rats and raccoons. Diseased plants can spread pathogens into your finished compost. Weed seeds survive unless you're maintaining high heat.

The Formula

The Simple Math

You don't need to be a chemist. You need to remember one ratio.

Parts Brown

Leaves, cardboard, paper

Part Green

Food scraps, grass, trimmings

This is your target. Your pile won't catch fire if you're off — it'll just be slower. If it smells bad, add more browns. If nothing's happening, add more greens or water.

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Keep It Moist

Your pile should feel like a wrung-out sponge — damp but not dripping. Dry piles stall. Soggy piles go anaerobic and smell. In Atlanta summers, check moisture weekly.

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Turn Weekly

Turning introduces oxygen, which speeds everything up. Even every 2–3 weeks makes a difference. Hot composters: turn more. Lazy pile people: turn when you remember. Both work.

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Chop It Up

Smaller pieces break down faster. Rip cardboard into strips, chop stems before adding them, cut fruit scraps. A 1-inch piece breaks down 3–4x faster than a whole one. Not mandatory — just faster.

How do you know it's done? Finished compost is dark, crumbly, and smells like rich earth — not like food scraps. You won't be able to identify what went in. It should look like really good soil. If it does, it's ready.

The Best FertilizerYou'll Ever Use Costs You Nothing.

3 Ways to Compost

Tumbling Composter

Open Compost Bin

Vermicomposting

Composting Products We Actually Use

FCMP Outdoor Tumbling Composter

OXO Good Grips Compost Bin

Compost Thermometer — Reotemp

Uncle Jim's 250 Count Red Wigglers

Geobin Composting System

Jobe's Organics Compost Starter

What Goes In. What Stays Out.

Goes In

Stays Out

The Simple Math

Keep It Moist

Turn Weekly

Chop It Up

Close the loop on your kitchen scraps.

The Best Fertilizer
You'll Ever Use
Costs You Nothing.