Composting With Newspaper

Overview

Newspaper is biodegradable, so that when it is composted it turns into nutritious, mineral-rich topsoil. Even beginning gardeners can easily learn how to compost newspaper in order to produce the rich topsoil that organic gardeners refer to as "black gold."

Step 1

Rip any quantity of old newspapers into strips, or run them through a paper shredder. Smaller pieces decompose faster.

Step 2

Dig a hole in your back yard, 1 to 2 feet deep and 1 to 2 feet wide.

Step 3

Cover the bottom of the hole, up to 4 inches deep, with newspaper and lightly spray it with water.

Step 4

Add a layer of grass clippings and/or kitchen scraps to the top of your newspaper. This will hasten the newspaper's decomposition and provide an environment that bacteria, earthworms and microbes enjoy.

Step 5

Cover the food and yard waste with a layer of organic garden soil. If there's room in the hole for another set of layers, just be sure that you keep layering in the same order: newspaper, followed by grass clippings and/or kitchen waste, then garden soil.

Step 6

Leave the newspaper compost untouched for three months. After this you can sift the matter into a wheelbarrow for distribution in your garden.