Do's and dont's of composting

Compost piles make your life greener, help the environment and make great fertilizer for your garden. Here are the essential do's and don'ts of composting.

Make sure to pick a location for your compost pile that is convenient for you to fill up and unload. You probably want to keep it out of sight, but try to make sure it's not too far away from your house; otherwise, you won't be as likely to use it.

Composting only occurs when there is moisture. A proper compost pile should feel damp all the way through. If you aren't depositing enough wet material into it, you should water it with the garden hose to keep it active.

You don't have to turn your compost pile, but doing so will make the process go faster. Use a shovel to shift the layers and allow air into the pile. Even doing so once a season will help speed things up.

Don't toss food and waste from your kitchen onto the top of the pile where rodents and other critters are likely to find it. Use a shovel to cover it inside the compost pile after you've thrown it in.

The smaller your material is, the faster it will decompose. Use a lawnmower to shred up leaves and grass, and chop up large fruit and vegetable pieces before disposing of them.

Materials like corn cobs and large stalks won't compost as quickly as the rest of your pile. When your compost pile is ready, remove these items and reuse them in your next batch. They're helpful for creating air pockets in the pile.

Feel free to toss in vegetables and fruit scraps, coffee grounds and filters, dry leaves, straw and hay, grass clippings, tea bags and leaves, house plants, eggshells, paper, shredded newspaper and paper towels.

Meats, fish, any dairy products, oily foods, animal fur and waste, plants that have diseases, grease, charcoal ash, chicken or other bones and anything treated with pesticides