COMPOSTING IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD

LET'S DO SOME COMPOSTING!
IT ISN'T REALLY THAT HARD TO DO, AND ACTUALLY, COMPOSTING CAN TURN YOUR HOUSEHOLD WASTES INTO VALUABLE FERTILIZER AND ORGANIC SOIL MATTER
ALL ORGANIC MATTER EVENTUALLY DECOMPOSES.  COMPOSTING WILL SPEED THE PROCESS BY PROVIDING AN IDEAL ENVIRONMENT FOR BACTERIA AND OTHER DECOMPOSING MICRO-ORGANISMS.  THE FINAL PRODUCT, ... HUMUS OR COMPOST, WHICH LOOKS AND FEELS LIKE FERTILE GARDEN SOIL.. THIS DARK, CRUMBLY, EARTHY-SMELLING STUFFF WORKS WONDERS ON ALL KINDS OF SOIL AND PROVIDES VITAL NUTRIENTS TO HELP PLANTS GROW AND LOOK BETTER. 
DECOMPOSING ORGANISMS CONSIST OF BACTERIA, FUNGI, AND LARGER ORGANISMS SUCH AS WORMS, SOW BUGS, NEMATODES, AND NUMEROUS OTHERS.
DECOMPOSING ORGANISMS NEED 4 KEY ELEMENTS TO THRIVE:
1. NITROGEN
2. CARBON
3. MOISTURE
4. OXYGEN
FOR THE BEST RESULTS YOU WILL NEED TO MIX MATERIALS HIGH IN THE NITROGEN, (SUCH AS CLOVER, FRESH GRASS CLIPPINGS, AND LIVESTOCK MANURE) AND WITH THOSE, INGREDIENTS HIGH IN CARBON, (SUCH AS DRIED LEAVES AND TWIGS).  IF THERE IS NOT A GOOD SUPPLY OF NITROGEN-RICH MATERIAL, A HANDFUL OF GENERAL LAWN FERTILIZER WILL HELP THE NITROGEN-CARBON RATIO.... MOISTURE IS USUALLY PROVIDED BY RAIN, .. BUT YOU MAY NEED TO WATER OR COVER THE PILE TO KEEP IT DAMP.  BE CAREFUL NOT TO SATURATE THE PILE.  TURNING  OR MIXING THE PILE WILL PROVIDE OXYGEN.  FREQUENT TURNING OF THE PILE WILL YIELD FASTER COMPOSITION.  
LET'S GET STARTED:
MANY MATERIAL CAN BE ADDED TO A COMPOST PILE, INCLUDING LEAVES, GRASS CLIPPINGS, STRAW, WOODY  BRUSH, VEGETABLE AND FRUIT SCRAPS, COFFEE GROUNDS, LIVESTOCK MANURE, SAWDUST, AND SHREDDED PAPER.  DO NOT  USE DISEASED PLANTS, MEAT SCRAPS THAT MAY ATTRACT ANIMALS, OR DOG OR CAT MANURE WHICH CAN CARRY DISEASE.  COMPOSTING CAN BE AS SIMPLE OR AS INVOLVED AS YOU WOULD LIKE, AND IT WILL DEPEND ON HOW MUCH YARD WASTE YOU HAVE, HOW FAST YOU WANT RESULTS, AND THE EFFORT YOU ARE WILLING TO PUT INTO YOUR COMPOSTING PROJECT. 
COLD OR SLOW COMPOSTING:
WITH COLD OR SLOW COMPOSTING, YOU CAN JUST PILE YOUR GRASS CLIPPINGS AND DRY LEAVES ON THE GROUND OR IN  A BIN.  THIS METHOD REQUIRES NO MAINTENANCE, BUT IT WILL TAKE SEVERAL MONTHS TO A YEAR OR MORE FOR THE PILE TO DECOMPOSE.  COLD COMPOSTING WORKS WELL IF YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO TEND THE COMPOST PILE AT LEAST EVERY OTHER DAY, OR YOU HAVE VERY LITTLE YARD WASTE, OR, YOU ARE NOT IN A HURRY TO USE THE COMPOST. 
KEEP WEEDS AND DISEASED PLANTS OUT OF THE MIX, SINCE THE TEMPERATURES REACHED WITH COLD COMPOSTING MAY NOT BE HIGH ENOUGH TO KILL THE WEED SEEDS OR DISEASE-CAUSING ORGANISMS.  ADD YARD WASTE AS IT ACCUMULATES.  SHREDDING OR CHOPPING SPEEDS UP THE PROCESS.  TO EASILY SHRED YOUR MATERIAL, RUN YOUR LAWN MOWER OVER SMALL PILES OF WEEDS AND TRIMMINGS.
COLD COMPOSTING HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE BETTER AT SUPPRESSING SOIL-BORNE DISEASES THAN HOT COMPOSTING.  COLD COMPOSTING ALSO LEAVES MORE UN-DECOMPOSED BITS OF MATERIAL, WHICH CAN BE SCREENED OUT IF DESIRED.