The Easiest Ways to Start Composting (Without Turning Your Garden Into a Science Project)

Let’s be honest: composting has a reputation for being complicated.

You start Googling “best composting method,” and suddenly you’re deep in a worm (farm) hole, trying to remember the perfect ratio of carbon to nitrogen while your kitchen scraps sit there judging you.

Here’s the good news: it doesn’t have to be that way.

Composting can be as simple (or as fancy) as you want it to be. The trick is choosing a method that fits your lifestyle, space, and tolerance for fuss.

Today, I’m going to give you a quick overview of the four main composting methods, why I think bokashi and cold composting are the easiest ways to start, and exactly how to do them.

Let’s keep it simple, shall we?

The Four Main Composting Methods (Pros & Cons)

1. Cold Composting

What it is:
Throw your kitchen scraps, leaves, and garden trimmings in a heap or bin and let time do the work.

Pros:

• Minimal effort required
• No need to turn regularly
• Perfect for beginners

Cons:

• Takes 6–12 months to fully break down
• Won’t kill weed seeds

2. Hot Composting

What it is:
A more active process where you balance greens and browns, turn regularly, and keep everything moist to create heat and speed up decomposition.

Pros:

• Faster, can be ready faster
• Can kill weed seeds and diseases

Cons:

• Needs regular turning and monitoring
• Can feel like an extra part-time job
• Can go wrong if not done right

3. Bokashi

What it is:
An anaerobic process where you ferment kitchen waste in a sealed bin using inoculated bran.

Pros:

• No smells (if done right)
• Great for small spaces
• Can put all foodscraps inside (meat, dairy, citrus, leftovers)
• Liquid can be drained off as a high quality fertiliser

Cons:

• You need to buy or make the bran and buckets
• You still need to bury it, it is not a complete system

4. Worm Composting (Vermicomposting)

What it is:
Using special compost worms (like red wrigglers) to break down food scraps into rich castings.

Pros:

• Produces fantastic compost and liquid feed
• Compact and can work indoors

Cons:

• Worms are a little high-maintenance (heat, moisture, and food balance)
• Cannot put in citrus or alliums (onion, garlic, etc)

Why Bokashi and Cold Composting Are Your New Best Friends

If you’re a busy human with roughly zero time for fuss, bokashi and cold composting are hands-down the easiest ways to start.

Here’s why:

Bokashi:

• You can compost almost anything (even meat and dairy)
• It’s fast and tidy - great if you don’t have much space
• No turning or mixing

Cold Composting:

• It’s the set-and-forget option
• No equipment needed (just a pile or bin)
• Perfect for turning garden trimmings and veggie scraps into rich compost over time

How to Start Cold Composting (The Lazy Way)

1. Choose a spot. A shady corner of your garden works perfectly.
2. Start layering. Browns: dry leaves, straw, shredded cardboard
3. Greens: veggie scraps, coffee grounds, grass clippings. Aim for roughly 2 parts browns to 1 part greens, but don’t overthink it.
4. Keep it moist. Your pile should feel like a wrung-out sponge.
5. Forget about it. Seriously. You don’t need to turn it unless you feel like it. In 6  to12 months, the bottom of your pile will look like rich, dark compost.
6. Use it. When it’s crumbly and smells earthy, spread it around your plants. They’ll thank you.

How to Start Bokashi Composting (Small Space Friendly)

1. Get a Bokashi bin. You can buy one online or at a garden centre. It’s a sealed bucket with a spigot for draining liquid.
2. Sprinkle your bran. Every time you add food scraps, sprinkle a handful of inoculated bran over the top.
3. Keep filling. Press everything down to remove air pockets.
4. Drain the liquid. Every few days, drain off the “bokashi tea.” (Dilute 1:100 and use it as a fertiliser, or pour it down the drain to keep pipes clean.)
5. When full, ferment. Seal the bin for 2–3 weeks.
6. Bury or finish. Once fermented, bury the contents in your garden or add to a compost bin to finish breaking down.

Final Thoughts

Composting doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming.

Whether you’re burying bokashi or letting a lazy pile do its thing, every bit of organic matter you compost makes your soil healthier and your garden easier to care for.

Start where you are. Pick the method that feels least intimidating. And remember, imperfect composting is always better than no composting.

P.S. My most prolific and healthy butternut squash and tomatoes have always sprouted out of buried bokashi piles - there's something about the fermentation of the seeds and the micro-organisms in the Bokashi that just make them go WILD!

P.P.S. For small spaces you can combine these two methods by using a composting bin that is open to the ground, and adding your bokashi buckets and garden clippings into it.  The earthworks and insects will pull everything into the ground magically distributing high quality compost into the surrounding garden, and you will hardly ever even need to open it up.  Check it out here.