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How to Start a Compost Pile: A Beginner’s Guide for Saudi Gardeners

Composting is one of the easiest and most sustainable ways to enrich your soil and reduce waste at home. Whether you have a villa garden in Riyadh or a small patio in Jeddah, starting a compost pile is simple — and incredibly rewarding. Here's everything you need to know to turn scraps into soil with Botanvia.

Starting compost pile in garden

What Is Compost?

Compost is a mix of organic materials — like vegetable peels, dry leaves, and plant clippings — that break down into a rich, soil-like substance. It’s packed with nutrients, microorganisms, and structure-boosting matter that improve water retention, drainage, and plant health.

Step 1: Choose Your Compost Setup

You can start composting in two main ways:

  • Compost pile: An open pile in a shaded garden corner. Low-cost but requires space.
  • Compost bin or tumbler: A closed container that controls airflow and temperature — perfect for small yards or patios.
Compost tumbler or bin for small spaces Botanvia

Step 2: Know What to Compost

Healthy compost balances two materials:

  • Greens (wet/nitrogen-rich): fruit peels, vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, grass clippings
  • Browns (dry/carbon-rich): dry leaves, shredded paper, cardboard, straw
Aim for a 3:1 ratio of browns to greens to avoid bad odors and slimy compost.

 

Avoid These Items

Never add meat, oil, dairy, pet waste, or cooked food — they attract pests and cause odor. Stick to natural, plant-based material.

Step 3: Maintain the Balance

Compost needs airflow and moisture to break down properly. To keep your pile healthy:

  • Turn it weekly with a shovel or garden fork
  • Keep it moist like a wrung-out sponge
  • Add browns if it’s too wet or smells bad
  • Add greens if it’s dry and not decomposing

 

Turning compost pile for airflow Botanvia

Step 4: Speed It Up Naturally

Saudi heat is your friend — composting happens faster in warm climates. To accelerate decomposition, add a scoop of garden soil or finished compost to introduce beneficial microbes. A covered bin or black container will hold heat and moisture more efficiently.

How to Know When It's Ready

Finished compost will be dark, crumbly, and smell like fresh earth. You shouldn’t recognize the original materials. Most home compost is ready in 1–3 months depending on temperature and material size.

Finished compost in Botanvia raised bed

Using Your Compost

Mix compost into planting beds, use it as mulch, or blend it with potting mix. You can also collect the liquid runoff (compost tea) to water your plants — just dilute it with water first.

Bonus Tip: Start Indoors

If you don’t have outdoor space, begin with a kitchen compost pail. Collect your food scraps daily and transfer to a sealed compost bin outdoors.

At Botanvia, we believe gardening starts from the soil up. Composting is a great way to close the loop, reduce household waste, and grow better plants — naturally.

Green Starts Here.™