Speed composting, also known as hot composting, turns yard waste and food scraps into mature, usable compost within about eight weeks. The process relies on achieving the aeration and high temperatures necessary for rapid decomposition. Speed composting is very similar to traditional, or passive, composting in that the gardener builds a pile of biodegradable materials and uses the resulting nutrient-rich amendment once it matures. The difference lies in the increased labor speed composting requires, as well in the extra care you must take to achieve proper aeration, moisture level and carbon-to-nitrogen ratios (see References 2).
Shred or chop up the materials you plan to compost. Run leaves through a lawn mower attachment or a chipper/shredder, and chop up large kitchen scraps, such as watermelon rinds and apple cores. A paper shredder makes short work of newspapers and nonglossy junk mail, but tearing them by hand is fine.
Separate compostable materials into high-nitrogen and high-carbon piles. Nitrogen-rich items that can be composted include potato peels, chopped apple cores, fruit pulp, uneaten produce, grass clippings, shrub prunings, weeds, pulled plants and aged manure. Twigs, wood chips, corncobs, newspaper, straw, pine needles, sawdust and leaves fall into the carbon-rich category.
Create a 6- to 8-inch base layer of bulky carbon materials, such as small branches, twigs, wood chips or corncobs. Restrict the footprint of the base layer to 3 to 5 feet in width and length.
Moisten the base layer with a hose until it is damp but not soggy.
Add a 3-inch layer of nitrogen-rich materials.
Water the nitrogen layer until it feels slightly damp to the touch.
Position several branches, sunflower stalks or perforated pipes throughout the compost pile so that they are standing vertically or at a slight angle. This step creates air pockets in the heap as you add more layers.
Alternate 6-inch carbon-rich layers with 3-inch nitrogen-rich layers, watering the pile after every one or two layers. Stop building the pile when it reaches between 3 and 5 feet tall.
Turn the compost after three days. Temporarily remove your aeration branches or poles before turning the heap, and stick them back into the pile when you are finished. Some gardeners move their compost from one bin to another, while others keep the pile in place but shift the materials within the pile. The main objective is to move the ingredients at the cooler, outer edge of the heap into the center of the pile, and vice versa. Turning the compost ensures that all materials have a chance to decompose in the hotter center of the heap.
Periodically check the temperature of the compost pile with a thermometer or metal rod. The ideal temperature is between 120 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don't use a thermometer, insert a metal rod into the pile's center for a few minutes. If the rod feels hot when you remove it, the compost pile has likely reached speed-composting temperatures.
Turn the compost pile every few days, and water the materials as they dry out. If the pile begins to feel overly soggy, add sawdust or shredded leaves before you turn the pile.
Begin a new pile after eight weeks or as soon as the original compost pile matures.
Things You Will Need
- Biodegradable yard and kitchen waste
- Paper shredder, lawn mower or chipper/shredder (optional)
- Branches, pipes or sunflower stalks
- Rake, hoe or spade
- Thermometer or metal rod
- Compost small amounts quickly in a compost tumbler, which features a small storage drum and a handle to turn the materials in the drum.
- Turning a pile every one to two weeks instead of every few days still results in usable compost but requires up to four months to mature (see References 1).
- It isn't necessary to build layers of individual materials. Compose a nitrogen layer, for example, from grass clippings alone, or a mixture of grass, manure and kitchen scraps (see References 1).