Compost for people who forget to turn it

A compost pile does not need to run hot to be worthwhile; it only needs enough air, moisture, and variety to avoid becoming a sealed heap.

Start with a loose floor of twiggy stems, then alternate thin layers of kitchen scraps with dry leaves or torn uncoated cardboard. Every addition of wet green material should disappear beneath a slightly larger blanket of dry brown material.

Push a garden fork into the center once a month and lift gently in two or three places. That modest opening admits air without turning the entire pile, and the finished compost at the bottom can be sifted out when it smells like woodland soil.