Composting: Bays, piles, hot compost and compost teas · Alt Ordo Systems Guide
Compost is what microbes make when you give them a mix of wet, nitrogen-rich "greens" (kitchen scraps, manure, fresh weeds) and dry, carbon-rich "browns" (leaves, straw, wood chips), plus air and water. A big enough pile heats itself to 130–160°F, kills most weed seeds and germs, and turns a year of scraps and leaves into dark, crumbly soil food. On an off-grid homestead it is the cheapest fertilizer you will ever buy, and the end of hauling trash. The work is a weekend of building and a few hours of forking each month.
This guide helps you build a three-bay compost system from pallets, size it to your kitchen, flock and garden, run a hot pile that reaches 131°F, know when the compost is finished, and brew the two liquid feeds worth your time.
What's inside. 19 pages in 9 chapters (At a glance, Where it works, How it works, Size it, Parts and cost, Build it, Run it, Rules and permits, How it connects), then the sources and a notes page. 8 numbered figures drawn for this guide. You also get a worked example with a fill-in worksheet, 12 numbered steps, a year-round calendar, and a troubleshooting table.
Three builds, costed line by line (typical US prices, October 2026):
- Bare-bones: $48–$65
- Standard: $285–$464
- Comfortable: $868–$1,102
Sourced and fact-checked. Facts and figures are cited to the 29 sources listed at the back, and the whole guide was fact-checked before release. General guidance, not engineering advice: your county and a qualified pro have the last word on your site.
Pairs with other Alt Ordo Systems Guides: The off-grid vegetable garden; Composting toilets. For your county's permits and rules, see our county and state guides.
Instant PDF download. After checkout you get a download link by email. Letter-size pages, made to read on screen or print at home.