The Five Laziest Ways to Compost

Composting is a great way to get free fertilizer for your garden. If you’re new to composting, the idea is simple : you use clippings, leaves, and food scraps that you would normally throw away and let them decompose naturally to make a rich soil enhancer. For efficiency and deadline conscious gardeners, lazy composting is probably not for you…but if you’re short on time but still want to reap the benefits of what farmers call “brown gold”, you can compost without anything. hassle.

• If you want to buy a compost barrel, this BLACK+DECKER compost cup is a good choice.

Throw organics on the ground

The easiest way to make compost is to simply drop the plant matter on the ground. As long as there are no viable seeds in the material that can give rise to weeds that need to be controlled, the plant material will eventually decompose and add nutrients to the soil right where it lies. Of course, this method won’t work for large-scale composting—eventually the pile will need to be turned over to allow air to circulate—but it’s great for small clippings, grass clippings, or any other small clippings you may have. The best part is that it’s even less effort than throwing away plant debris.

Put the organics in a container and just leave

The best thing to do after throwing the compost on the ground is to simply put it in a basket or bag and let it sit for a while. I have practiced this method myself a few times by accident when a municipal compost collector arrived some time after I had done some pruning. The material will eventually break down in the container even without regular airflow, but this will take longer than in an aerated system. The advantage of this method is that no turning, drilling or digging is required… the compost can heat up and decompose on its own without any intervention. It’s a “set it and forget it” method. However, it will smell very bad, so don’t place it under an open window.

Make a lazy compost heap

You can build a compost heap, which simply means collecting all your compost material in the same place. Throwing yard and kitchen waste into a large pile will end up with useful compost, but of course there are downsides. The first big one is the smell that you can’t cover since it’s just a pile on the ground. Another consideration is that open compost can attract wildlife, and because it doesn’t get as hot as containerized compost, it will take longer to decompose. Raccoons, rodents, and other scavengers will be attracted to your compost, especially if it contains kitchen waste, so be careful before you pile up.

Sheet Mulch Organic Material

Sheet mulching , also known as growing lasagna, is a way to compost without using a container or any digging…but it takes a little work, so it’s not for everyone. This composting method involves using cardboard as a base: you spread a sheet of cardboard over an area and then add composting material on top. The cardboard will eventually decompose, but before it falls apart, it will kill the plants underneath by depriving them of their light. This dead plant material, as well as the decaying material you added on top, will make great garden fertilizer without digging, raking or bagging.

Buy a glass

For those who would like to have a proper compost box, you can buy one and have it delivered. Once the hopper is in place, very little maintenance is required other than turning it over from time to time. This is a great set-and-forget method if you don’t want to wait too long, and you can usually find a great compost cup for around a hundred dollars . The advantage of the glass is that it’s already aerated and comes with a stand, so no digging is required and it’s harder for wildlife to get into.