The success of your compost pile or bin depends on its ingredients. Refer to this comprehensive list of what’s right and what’s wrong for your composting needs.

Any experience you already have with nature — from farming, to gardening, to camping — will serve you well in developing compost common sense.

They may take longer to break down but, done right, pine cones and needles, twigs, acorns, nut shells and glossy leaves make for great compost ingredients.

If you want to speed up the composting process, grow your own activator — inexpensive, easy-to-grow comfrey.

If you’re going to use nitrogen-rich grass clippings as your compost “greens,” your compost need carbon-rich leaves as your “browns” too.

Some may say it’s okay to add your food scraps to an open compost pile, but the smart, safe thing to do is to add them only to an enclosed bin with a lid.

If you considering using manure in your compost pile, take the precautions necessary to ensure you are making healthy, responsible decisions.

Manure presents a great way of supplementing your compost pile, though the benefits vary depending on whether you’re using wet manure or dry.

When it comes to the stinky business of transporting manure, take the time to devise a clean, efficient plan of action.

If you have pets and are considering composting dog feces, cat feces or caged bird feces, read this first.