When we hear the words composting pile what do we all think about? Is it rural areas, where there are farms with large compost heaps in the corner of them? Do we think of the garden of that local oddball environmentalist who always has some waste stinking away claming its helping the environment? Probably, but that does not make it any less true. Composting is a great way to use your food and other waste, for a renewable resource.

A domestic compost pile is easily created. By using a large barrel or container you can throw a selection of your waste into this and will be able to watch it decompose over time and form a soil which is suitable to be used on crops and domestic gardens alike.

So how exactly does a composing pile work. Image via Wikipedia

Well, compositing piles are piles which use the waste we have from things like rotting food, particularly fruit such as apples and bananas. They will also break down garden waste. If you have recently raked up all the leaves in your garden for example then these can be put into your composting pile to decompose and be used again later on your garden.

When you are creating a composting pile however, there are other things which need to be included. This things range from saw dust and straw, all the way to manure. Though it may sound odd, these are all important things. They help to make the good soil which you wish to use. Finding manure is not hard, if you cannot find it in a field, then go to a local gardening centre and buy some bags of manure to put into your composting pile.

Within the pile there will be micro organisms which work to disintegrate the items which have been thrown into the pile. These micro organisms are important to making composting piles, without them we would not have any. Putting you compositing pile into a shed is a great way to keep them alive as it means they will always be in a high suitable temperature and away from the threat of a frost which can kill them.

The other two things which are required by micro organisms is air and water. Just like with humans and animals. Make sure that whatever container you plan to use is well ventilated with air holes all over it, while also ensuring that it gets enough rain water. If your compost pile is not moist like a sponge would be, then you should water it yourself as it is not getting enough of this from the rain.

Finally, remember that although you are able to throw all your food wastes directly into the composting pile, it will be more difficult for the whole pieces to decompose. Cut up pieces of apple and other such things to allow the process to speed up.

Composting piles take anywhere from two weeks to two years to actually produce something that we are able to use upon our gardens. The only way to ensure that this is going to be a fast rather than drawn out process is to make sure that all the things above are in your compositing pile, and the conditions are suitable.