Garden bed with compost added.
This is one of those things you can probably do in endless combinations, using everything from animal bits to poop, but being vegan, we avoid all animal products, & I like to take it easy (ok, I'm lazy), so I wanted to make a 'low risk' compost pile, where little could go wrong, & last year I successfully made a pile that required almost no effort ':D<boom.
All I did was layer a fine mulch with food scraps (all plant-based, no animal products). Once it was full I left the pile to sit & compost itself, I didn't turn it, or touch it at all, & it worked out really well :) As the pile breaks down it will reduce in size, & you can add more to the top as it shrinks if you want to.
I probably could have/should have left my pile to sit longer to break down more, but I wanted to add it this spring, it was well broken down, & smelled fine, so I used it.
I highly recommend composting your food scraps, it's ridiculously easy, & assuming nothing goes horribly wrong, you'll be left with a lovely material to add to your garden.
In my mind there are only two things that can really go wrong with a compost pile -
1. It's too wet - it'll go mushy & gross., & maybe smell a bit.
2. It's too dry - it won't break down, nothing much will happen.
These problems are pretty easy to avoid, & largely come down to where you make your pile. In a cool damp climate, a spot with good drainage, & a little sunlight would be a good choice, also use more mulch between layers. In a warm dry climate, make your pile in a shaded spot, & you can get away with using less mulch.
Piles can also be adjusted; turn + add mulch if too wet, shade + add a little water if too dry.
The mulch you use to compost must be dry (ie. not green) Using a finer mulch helps the pile break down more quickly. Mulch takes the longest time to break down, so keep that in mind when selecting the type you're going to use.
You can build a compost pile in just about anything. Our first one is inside a simple oval frame made from scrap chicken wire, & our second pile is in a frame made from re-claimed wooden fence. As long as it has ample drainage at the bottom, just about anything will do.
You may have other things to consider, such as keeping pets or wild animals out, in that case you may need something more sturdy, with some kind of cover on top.
Many people worry about rodents, our pile was visited several times by mice & rats, but they just dig a little then move on, so no harm done!
Here's the super simple process -
Lay a decent layer of mulch.
Add your veggie scraps & spread them out a little.
Cover the scraps with more mulch.
Then add more scraps, cover with mulch, & repeat.
Once your pile is full, leave it to sit & break down.
After that last addition of scraps & mulch, it's a good idea to let to pile compost for about 6 months or more, a whole year is a good idea. Larger material takes longer to break down, so times can vary, & things break down more quickly during the wet season.
A good finished compost will look & smell like lovely soil, it will be crumbly & damp, but neither wet or dry. As mentioned above, my pile could have used another 6 months, but I needed it, & it will break down more on the garden beds.
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