Backyard composting turns yard and kitchen waste into a soil booster. This guide covers what residents can compost at home, using advice from UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions, the University of Florida's gardening resource. It also tackles the question of whether the county offers composting programs or bins.
Does the county offer composting programs or bins?
The facts gathered for this guide do not mention any county or City composting program, and they do not mention free or discounted bins. Nothing here confirms that such a program exists, and nothing says it does not. Rather than guess, the best next step is to ask. The UF/IFAS Extension Lake County office is at 1951 Woodlea Rd. in Tavares, and it is the local contact point for gardening questions. Other City information for residents is gathered on the residents page.
The good news is that a compost pile does not need a program. The UF/IFAS advice below works with a simple pile in a corner of the yard.
The two kinds of material
UF/IFAS sorts compost ingredients into two groups: green materials, which are nitrogen-rich, and brown materials, which are carbon-rich. A healthy pile uses both.
Green materials
UF/IFAS lists these as green materials:
- Plant-based kitchen scraps (vegetables and fruits)
- Egg shells
- Farm animal manure
- Grass clippings
Brown materials
UF/IFAS lists these as brown materials:
- Fallen leaves
- Twigs and chipped branches
- Sawdust
- Shredded newspaper or cardboard
In practical terms, the vegetable peels and fruit scraps from the kitchen are green. The leaves, twigs and paper from around the house and yard are brown. Keeping a bag or bin of brown material near the pile makes it easier to balance each load of kitchen scraps.
What to leave out
UF/IFAS is direct on this point: do not add meat, fish, fats or dairy products to a home compost pile. Only plant-based kitchen scraps appear on the green list, so a leftover from a plate that contains any of those items should go in the regular trash instead.
How to build the pile
UF/IFAS says the pile should be built in layers, each three to four inches deep. Here is one way to follow that advice:
- Choose a spot in the yard for the pile.
- Spread a layer of brown material, three to four inches deep.
- Add a layer of green material, also three to four inches deep.
- Repeat, alternating brown and green layers, as materials become available.
Alternating layers is the key idea. The green layers and the brown layers each supply something the other lacks, and the layering keeps the two mixed through the pile.
How long it takes
According to UF/IFAS, compost can be produced in roughly six weeks if you occasionally turn the pile and keep it moist. That gives two jobs to remember:
- Turn the pile now and then so the layers mix.
- Keep the pile moist, not left to dry out.
The six-week figure depends on both habits. A pile that is never turned or that dries out should not be expected to finish on that schedule.
A simple starting checklist
- Collect vegetable and fruit scraps and egg shells in the kitchen.
- Gather fallen leaves, twigs, shredded newspaper or cardboard for the brown layers.
- Keep meat, fish, fats and dairy out of the pile.
- Build the pile in layers three to four inches deep.
- Turn it occasionally and keep it moist.
- Look for finished compost in roughly six weeks.
Grass clippings count as green material, so lawn trimmings can go into the pile too. Pair them with brown material such as leaves so the pile does not become all green.
Who to contact
- UF/IFAS Extension Lake County, 1951 Woodlea Rd., Tavares: the local office for questions about gardening and composting. Its website is sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/lake.
- UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions: the compost guide that this post draws on.
Sources
Compiled from the official sources below.