- 1). Chop up grass clippings and fallen cottonwood leaves with a lawn mower to reduce their size. This will help your organic material decompose faster.
- 2). Reduce the size of kitchen scraps with a food processor.
- 3). Select a site to build your compost pile. The ideal site for a compost pile is in a sunny location over well-drained soil. Sun will help the compost to decompose faster, while soil will absorb liquid and nutrients from the decomposing pile.
- 4). Layer your chopped cottonwood leaves, wood chips and sawdust in one layer. These are brown organic materials that are filled with carbon. Layer kitchen scraps and grass clippings in a separate layer. These are nitrogen-rich green organic materials.
- 5). Pile twice as many brown layers into your compost pile as green layers. This will keep your compost from stinking.
- 6). Make your compost pile at least 3 feet square. This size pile creates an ideal climate for microbes to decompose the material inside of the pile.
- 7). Wet your pile so that it is the consistency of a wrung-out sponge and cover with a tarp.
- 8). Turn your pile every three days to speed decomposition.
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