[GUIDE] What tools do you need to compost?
Plus: a short reader survey (please don't delete this email because I said that).
Hi, I’ve put together an extremely brief reader survey to help me better understand who you (dear readers) all are, and what kind of information you’re looking for about compost. It will take you three minutes, tops, to fill out, and I really hope you will. :)
People ask me often what tools they need in order to compost. My opinion about compost bins themselves, I would hope, are fairly well known at this point, but when it comes to tools, I’m more amenable to investing. Good tools can make or break your compost habit, and more than once I’ve “fixed” somebody’s compost just by recommending them a different shovel. (The one they had was perhaps too long handled, resulting in laborious and clumsy turning.)
Below, a list of the tools I feel are necessary for good compost. It’s not a long one.
The right shovel
On that note, the number one tool I recommend any composter get is the right shovel. I’ve had the best luck with rounded shovels that have pointed tips, a shorter handle, and a proper grip. The pointed tip helps cut through any compaction or stubborn, stringier yard waste, while the shorter handle provides solid leverage when turning. A decent specimen of this variety will run you $20 at Home Depot.
A Hori Hori
The second tool is the Hori Hori, a.k.a. a Japanese digging knife. This is by far the most versalite and useful tool in my entire collection. The handle is made of wood, and the blade does triple duty as knife, shovel, and measuring stick. It is thickly serrated on one side, and razor sharp on the other. I’ve lost part of two out of my ten fingers to my Hori Hori, but I love my Hori Hori. It can chop food, root through the earth, and slice through fibrous yard waste. I’ve used it for turning compost, planting vegetables, hacking a path through an overgrown garden, and once for threatening a weird guy who lurked up behind me in an empty lot.
Okay, okay - the stand-up hand tiller
The third tool I recommend is a capitulation to the fact that, despite how many times I tell people not to use expensive compost bins, people still use expensive compost bins. The third tool is this stand-up hand tiller. The long handle and grip make it perfect for plunging into a tall, plastic compost bin and turning the contents without breaking your back or having to, you know, climb into the damn thing. Just stab and turn, stab and turn. (This action doubles as good therapy, if that’s a consideration for you.)
Washable shoes
The fourth tool I recommend is the right shoe and the right shoe, in my opinion, is the one that is easiest to clean. For this purpose, I’ve invested in a pair of Calzuro Classic Clogs. Calzuro’s were invented for the medical industry, so they’re designed to be both repeatedly cleaned (made from 100% rubber) and ultra-sturdy. They also look nice, which is no small feat for a work shoe. I can wear them to compost, rinse them off with a hose, and be at fancy dinner seconds later with not a soul the wiser. Lastly, they’re easy to slip on-and-off, which is great for me because if it weren’t illegal I don’t even think I’d bother to wear clothes.
Gloves = nah
I don’t wear gardening gloves, even when I’m rooting through my compost or adding new food scraps to the pile. This isn’t for everyone, but it works for me. I like to feel the earth of my compost, and be able to grab and inspect the different insects and grubs that I find within. I supplement my hand-turning with my Hori Hori, which is good for gaining more leverage in the pile than my fingers can manage on their own. Again: not for everyone.
Countertop food scrap container
I keep my food scraps in a large Pyrex mixing bowl that I inherited from my great grandmother. This works for me because I’m able to easily take my food scraps out a few times a day, if necessary, but if you’re in a small apartment or a position of needing to store scraps for longer, a simple and closeable countertop container for your food scraps can be helpful. The stainless steel Enloy bin is the classic, but my brain is frustrated by having such a cold-looking device up on my counter. I prefer a softer, gentler picnic basket shape—like these bins designed by Food52. In general, bins made from plastic or bamboo are easier to keep clean, so I tend to recommend them to beginning composters, who are more likely to have their early enthusiasm diminished by odors.
Hedge shears
At the community garden where I volunteer, I use a pair of long-handled hedge shears to prep branches and weeds before adding them to our three bin compost system. I heap everything into a pile and then just stab into it with the shears, clipping away madly. I’m not sure I recommend this strategy to beginners or, honestly, anybody at all. (As an additional cautionary note, I want to remind readers that I’ve lost the tips of not one, but two, of my fingers.) Regardless, the tool itself is fantastic. It also fits my broader tool strategy, which is finding tools that are big enough to have a bit of reach, so you can get into your pile with them, and also very good grips, so you don’t drop them and harpoon yourself.
Wood chipper
If you have the space, a wood chipper is worth the investment. You can get ones that are relatively cheap and small, if you have less space and/or money, or ones that are enormously huge and expensive, if you have the opposite. Either way, a wood chipper/shredder is hard to beat if you are dealing with a lot of yard waste or a large pile. Few tools will make your compost more efficient at decomposition.
Last, but not least: a matching truck
It’s actually a coincidence that my clogs are the same color as my truck, but so far it’s worked out well for me.
Sometimes, the best tool for the job is just a little bit of style.
