Why compost is worth making at home and tips on how to select a compost bin to make the process fun, easy, and tidy.

A compost bin is a container that holds scraps of vegetable matter, dried leaves, ash, and other organic refuse neatly and securely while it decays into rich dark matter that you can then spread on your garden and work into the soil. Compost makes plants bloom and thrive like almost nothing else. A composting bin lets you enjoy the benefits and savings of creating your own compost without the unsightly mess of an open compost pile.

Compost is a rich dark substance that resembles soil but is actually composed of the remnants of decayed vegetable matter. Compost is sometimes called the 'black gold' of gardening: plants love it, and best of all, it is easy to make and it's free. Working a little compost into your garden and around the base of each plant on a regular basis will keep your plants happy and your soil healthy and rich.

Country-dwellers are familiar with compost heaps, which are basically just open piles of leaves, soil, and vegetable trash that are turned periodically with a pitchfork the encourage decomposition. A compost heap is usually located behind a barn or in some other out of the way location where it won't be an eyesore, but for city dwellers, there is no such location.

A composting bin solves the problem of leaving unsightly, decaying refuse out in the open where it can draw critters and insects and annoy the neighbors. By using a compost bin, you can enjoy all the gardening benefits of homemade compost without the aesthetic drawbacks of rotting scraps.

Compost bins come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes; from small kitchen containers that can be kept beside a sink or under one, all the way up to shed-sized bins and big tumblers that can be turned with a handle to speed up decomposition. Some compost bins are made up of a tiered series of drawers that are stacked in such a way that raw material goes into the topmost drawer, and finished compost comes out the bottom drawer.

Most composting bins are covered and are made of PVC plastic or metal, although you can make a decent homemade bin out of mesh and plywood fitted with a tarp or wood cover. A lid is an important element, especially in city applications. A good lid will keep small animals and insects at bay, but the bin must have ventilation on the sides to prevent mold and other problems.

To make your own compost, mix about one part of 'green' matter to every four parts of 'brown' matter, then turn the compost every week. 'Green' matter includes grass clippings, table scraps and peels (fruit and vegetable matter only, no meat or dairy), fresh manure (rabbits, chickens, horses, cows), leftover vegetables from the garden, and green leaves or weeds. 'Brown' matter includes dry leaves, dry grass, straw, shredded corn husks, and even a small amount of sawdust.

Too much green matter causes the compost mixture to become too hot, making it smelly and rotten and nothing you'd ever use on your garden. Too much brown matter makes decomposition to slow to a crawl. Getting the right mix of the two, and turning the compost regularly, are the main keys to making good compost.

Although composting sounds complex, it really isn't all that difficult. Once you try it, you quickly get a feel for whether the mix is working and you can easily adjust as you go by adding more or less brown matter. The center of the compost bin actually gets 'hot' when the pile is working. Decomposition is a natural process that creates heat and the microscopic processes that create the heat break down the matter inside. Turning the bin or mixing the pile redistributes the heat so that the process hits all the scraps and leaves and turns them into compost.

Many covered compost bins (especially the kinds that include a rotating tumbler) recommend adding water mixed with a special microbiotic powder at regular intervals to help break down the pile more quickly. While this isn't strictly necessary with an open compost pile, inside a covered bin it does move the process along a bit faster.

Choose a composing bin that is attractive and of sufficient size to accommodate the leaves you normally rake in the fall and the vegetable scraps you normally throw away nightly. Place the bin in a location somewhere between your back door and your garden, but not so far away from your house that you will avoid feeding the bin scraps. A small indoor bin is nice to use in conjunction with a larger one outdoors. You can throw the scraps into the kitchen bin and empty it periodically into the larger bin when it gets full.

Making compost is easy and will make a huge difference in your soil and your plants. Many county extension offices and gardening web sites have extensive resources available for anyone interested in composting, and composting bins are widely available online. A simple web search will turn up a wealth of information and great composting products.

It's easier than you think, so why not give it a try?

About the Author:
Scott Gray is a garden enthusiast who loves to relax taking care of his garden. For more information about container gardening ideas, strawberry planters and plastic garden planters and general gardening, be sure to visit his site allgardenplanters.com.