Composting Knowledge Quiz: Test Your Composting Skills | Gardening

Your score (0–20) reflects your composting knowledge: 0–6 Beginner, 7–13 Intermediate, 14–20 Composting Pro. Use the recommended actions in the results to improve techniques like balancing greens and browns, managing moisture, and monitoring pile temperature.

Focus on practical basics: separate greens (nitrogen-rich) and browns (carbon-rich), maintain a 25–30:1 C:N ratio, keep the pile moist (like a wrung-out sponge), and turn regularly for aeration. Try hot composting on a small pile to learn temperature management.

Meat, dairy, and cooked foods are generally not recommended for backyard composting because they attract pests and may cause odors. If you must compost them, use a specialized system like bokashi or in-vessel composting designed to handle such materials.

Vermicomposting uses worms to break down organic matter at ambient temperatures and is ideal for kitchen scraps and small-scale indoor setups. Hot composting relies on thermophilic microbes, high temperatures, and active management (turning) to rapidly decompose larger volumes and kill pathogens and weed seeds.

Finished compost is dark, crumbly, earthy-smelling, and you can no longer identify most of the original materials. It will no longer heat up when turned and will have a stable, soil-like texture. Screening can help separate finished material from larger undecomposed pieces.

Yes. Composting reduces methane emissions produced by anaerobic decomposition in landfills and returns nutrients to soil, improving carbon sequestration and soil health. Local composting programs and home composting are practical ways to reduce household waste impacts.