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Why not give your backyard some rich, natural fertilizer at no cost? At the same time, you’ll drastically reduce the amount of household garbage you put out on the curb. (About 30 per cent of the residential garbage that goes to landfills is made up of kitchen and yard waste.)

You can put a lot of your refuse to work by making a simple compost heap in your backyard. It’s a great way to make the most of organic waste like grass clippings, weeds, and non-greasy meal scraps. Just think of all those leftovers, bread crusts, tea bags, coffee grounds, and fruit and vegetable peelings that could easily be put to good use for wildlife. A compost heap makes super fertilizer for trees, flowers, and anything that grows. You’ll do your backyard a big favour by allowing the soil to recycle valuable nutrients.

The following design for a chicken-wire composter is very simple and effective. However, there are many other types of composters. You can buy commercial composters at garden centres or hardware stores. Your municipality may also offer them at a reduced rate.

How to | Maintenance | Tips for better composting |

How to...

Find a shady, protected area to construct a chicken wire enclosure. It should be big enough to hold a pile about 1 m high x 1.5 m in diameter. Chicken wire is sold in widths of 3' (or just under 1 m). You’ll need a piece 4.5 to 5 m (14 to 16') in length.

Join the ends of the chicken wire to make a cylinder.

Place the cylinder on an area of well-drained soil.

Start your compost heap inside the chicken-wire cylinder with a base of branches for ventilation.

Next, add a 7 cm layer of grass clippings, leaves, or weeds, and then a layer of food scraps (no meat or bones).

Cover that layer with 2 cm of dry manure or soil. You could also add 2 cm of lime to speed up the decaying process.

Repeat this series of layers until your pile is just over 1 m deep.

Maintenance

Turn the pile about once a month with a pitchfork and keep it moist during dry spells. The compost should feel like a damp — but not soggy — sponge. You’ll notice that it sinks as it decomposes.

You can compost year-round. The process will just slow down during winter.

Within about nine months, your compost heap will be ready to till into the backyard soil. (It should be dark and crumbly.)

Tips for better composting

Turn the compost periodically with a pitchfork. However, if you can’t be bothered to do so, the pile will still eventually become rich "soil" — ready for use in your backyard habitat.

The compost heap should be the consistency of a damp, but not soggy, sponge. You can add water to the pile if you think it is too dry.

Scraps and other wastes will decay much faster if they’re shredded or chopped before going into the composter. (This step isn’t necessary if it’s too much trouble.)

You can cover the compost heap with black plastic to keep out heavy rain, protect it from scavengers, and retain warmth and moisture.

Do compost nitrogen-rich organic materials, such as fruit and vegetable scraps; tea bags; coffee grounds with filter paper; plant trimmings; wood ash from a fireplace or wood stove; nut shells; and fresh grass clippings.

Do compost carbon-rich brown materials, such as dry leaves; straw; sawdust (in very thin layers); and wood chips and shavings.

Don’t compost pet wastes; charcoal or coal ash; meats, bones, or fats; dairy products; oil or oily foods; cooked food waste (which often contains fats); diseased or insect-infected plants; diapers or sanitary products; woody yard waste (unless shredded first); crab grass; or any weeds you’re trying to eliminate from your yard.

Don’t compost leaves or clippings from roses. Roses are very susceptible to diseases, which can live on in their clippings.

If your pile starts to develop an awful smell, it generally means that either it is not getting enough air or it is too moist. Try loosening up the pile to allow for better air circulation. If it is too moist add more dry material