How to Make Compost at Home (Even on a Balcony)

Composting is household magic: you turn kitchen and plant scraps into a dark, fluffy, free fertilizer that your pots and garden will love. And you don't need a yard: with a small bin or a worm bin, you can do it on a balcony.

The secret: a "green and brown" balance

Good compost needs two types of material:

• Greens (nitrogen): fruit and veg scraps, coffee grounds, fresh grass, green leaves. They add moisture and proteins.
• Browns (carbon): cardboard, paper, dry leaves, twigs, sawdust. They add structure and air.

The rule of thumb: 2-3 parts brown to 1 part green. If it smells bad, you have too much green: add brown.

What TO add

Fruit and veg scraps, coffee grounds and filters, crushed eggshells, dry leaves, cardboard and ink-free paper, small prunings.

What NOT to add

• Meat, fish, dairy and greasy cooked food (they attract pests and smell).
• Pet feces.
• Diseased or pest-ridden plants.
• Citrus and onion in excess (worms don't like them).

How to start, step by step

1. Choose the container: a bin with a lid and airflow, or a worm bin (with red wigglers) ideal for a balcony and indoors.
2. Alternate layers of green and brown. Start and end with brown.
3. Keep it moist like a wrung-out sponge, not soggy.
4. Aerate by turning it every 1-2 weeks: oxygen speeds everything up and prevents odor.

When is it ready?

In 2-4 months (faster with worms and in warm weather). It'll be dark, crumbly and smell of forest soil. Use it mixed into your potting soil (20-30%) or as a mulch.

Common problems

• Smells bad: lacks air or too much green. Turn it and add brown.
• Fruit flies: bury the fruit scraps and cover with brown.
• Not breaking down: too dry or lacking green. Moisten and balance.

Start small with coffee grounds and peels, and in a few months you'll have free fertilizer for everything. 🌱