I hate finding rummagers in my compost! Rodents love going through it to find rotting food scraps. They’re especially pesky when food is scarce outdoors; they’ll look through piles, trash bins, and debris.

Don’t let these pesky creatures ruin your compost. Instead, keep a healthy pile. Letting the stuff dry out or keeping it too wet can slow down the decomposition rates. In turn, animals will smell the rotting waste and pick it out before it decays.

Extra prevention may be necessary if you frequently find pests in your compost. We’ll use protective measures, like laying wire mesh, and alternative composting methods to prevent the unruly pests from reaching your compost. Let’s dig in! 

Keep A Healthy Compost Pile

The first line of defense is a healthy pile. Compost needs three things to work properly: moisture, air, and a proper carbon-to-nitrogen ratio. With regular time and attention, the pile will decay readily and be free of pests.

Use a Proper Ratio

Mixing materials evenly prevents soggy, stinky compost layers.

Setting up the pile is the first step in making healthy compost. It’s crucial to add waste in proper doses; you don’t want to overwhelm the site with too much nitrogen or carbon. Too much nitrogen leads to a soggy, wet mess, while too much carbon creates a dry pile that’s easily picked through.

Compost requires a 30:1 ratio of carbon to nitrogen. Carbon-rich materials, like straw and fallen leaves, are light and airy, while nitrogen-rich ones are fleshy and wet. Kitchen scraps, plant clippings, and alfalfa meal are all nitrogen-rich composting materials.

Those materials rich in carbon are “browns,” while those rich in nitrogen are “greens.” For every shovelful of greens, add two to three shovelfuls of browns. This trick helps create a carbon-to-nitrogen ratio that closely resembles 30:1. 

If the pile is smelly and wet, add more browns. If it’s dry, light, and slowly decomposing, add greens. It may take a few tries to get it right, but don’t get discouraged! Compost piles fix themselves quickly when they have the right ratios. 

Turn the Pile

Pitchforks make lifting and flipping the pile simple.

Alongside a proper ratio, regular turning ensures all the waste particles decay readily. Microbes, worms, and maggots tend to reside at the bottom of the pile. Turning the materials moves the debris so the critters can eat all the particles.

A pitchfork is the best tool for turning piles. Simply stab the forks in a portion of the pile, then lift the contents and turn them over. Repeat this action around the pile, then rake all the debris into a neat heap. 

How often to turn the piles depends on what type of compost you’re making. Hot compost, which decays rapidly, requires daily turning. Cold compost is slower but easier to maintain. Turn cold piles once a month or more often, and wait for them to decay for six months or longer. Cold piles may take up to a year to finish! 

Water Regularly

Keep the pile evenly damp, never soaking wet.

Alongside aeration, consistent moisture is imperative for healthy compost! It prevents pests from rummaging around in your pile, and it ensures the beneficial microbes and critters inside it stay safe and moist. 

How much water to add depends on the current season and how much rain is falling. Cool temperatures cause decomposition to slow, meaning a pile will need less water than it would in summer. Summertime heat and sunlight speed up decomposition and dry out the pile. You may need to wet the heap daily when the weather warms. 

If it’s raining daily in fall, winter, or spring, the pile may get too wet. Add a cover over its top to prevent water from falling on it. Use a plastic tarp or a large container to funnel rainwater towards the surrounding soil. Compost should be 50% moist, like a wrung-out sponge, at all times. 

Don’t Compost These Items

Soft vegetable scraps break down faster than tough ones.

Some materials are technically compostable, but they require high temperatures and a lot of time to break down. Leftover meats, dairy products, carcasses, used oil, and animal waste are best composted in commercial processes rather than home piles. 

Consider chopping large items into smaller pieces to facilitate quick decomposition. Large pieces, like corn cobs or leftover cabbage centers, attract hungry rodents that pick them out of the pile.

When composting, add items to your pile that break down rapidly and readily. Potato skins, plant stems, and coffee grounds are some of the many materials you can add. 

Pest Protection

If you’re maintaining your compost with care and you still notice pests, it’s best to protect the area to keep them out. Discourage them from coming, and they likely won’t return! Use covers, containers, and mesh to prevent pests in your compost pile. Remember, bugs like maggots are okay, while larger rodents are pests. 

Wire Mesh

Mesh creates a barrier without harming garden helpers.

Wire mesh is useful in many applications. Put it on your fence to prevent cats from jumping over, or lay it on your beds to prevent furry creatures from eating your crops. It’s also a useful tool for preventing pests in compost.

To start, simply place the wire mesh over the pile so all parts are covered. Weigh down the edges with heavy things like stones or bricks, or use long nails to pin them to the ground. The mesh prevents rodents from entering and allows beneficial bugs, like black soldier flies and worms, to go through. 

Wire mesh is unpleasant for animals to walk on, but they can burrow underneath it. Consider burying a portion of it under the soil to prevent burrowing critters from entering the site. 

Protective Sheet

Cover every part to prevent unwanted animal access.

Similar to wire mesh, a protective sheet blocks the compost pile and prevents pests from entering it. Plastic tarps, fabric sheets, and old carpets all work well. You want a sheet that animals can’t rip through.

Once you have your sheets, it’s time to lay them on the piles! Cover all of them, ensuring no parts are left exposed. Weigh down the edges with logs, rocks, or bricks. If you don’t have any of these items, use pots full of soil or similar heavy objects to weigh down the sheets.

A sheet helps keep squirrels and raccoons out, though it may not work for burrowing mice and rats. These rodents are curious and conniving, and they’ll eat through the sheets or go underneath them. Use fine wire mesh, like chicken wire, to keep them out. 

Containers

Containers give a neat, organized spot for decay.

Many home composters use containers, like Earth Machines, to house their compost. These plastic bins protect the decaying waste and prevent pests from getting inside. The Earth Machine is the ideal container, though there are many other options available.

When in doubt, use a plant pot! Simply turn it over and place it on top of the pile. Large pots, like 20-gallon sizes or larger, are ideal.

Containers are not only helpful in preventing pests, but they also preserve water inside their walls. They keep the piles moist without much irrigation. 

Lift It Off the Ground

Combining covers and pallets blocks all crafty intruders.

Burrowing critters are the most dangerous of all compost pests. They pass through sheets, mesh, and containers with ease, using underground tunnels to escape your clutches. 

Prevent burrowing pests by lifting the compost pile off the ground. Place a wooden pallet on the ground, then put wire mesh on top of the pallet. The compost goes onto the pallet, where it’s unreachable by in-ground pests.

It’s best to combine this method with others, like using Earth Machines or covering the area with sheets. Protect both the bottom and the top of the pile to block all pests from entering. 

Alternative Composting Methods

Occasionally, composting is near impossible with the pile method. Cities contain lots of waste, and they’re hotbeds for rodent pests. It may be better to use an alternative composting method if these critters are impossible to keep away.

Lasagna Composting

Layering greens and browns nourishes the soil beneath naturally.

This technique is an excellent way to prepare beds for planting. Lasagna composting, also called sheet composting, is an in-ground method that relies on worms and below-ground microbes to break down waste. 

Start by digging down to prepare the area. Dig a foot deep, and keep the soil to the side. Then, layer greens and browns in alternating layers. Place a few inches of fleshy plant matter and kitchen scraps, then alternate with a layer of dry leaves, cardboard, and paper. 

At the end, place the soil you dug out back on top of the layers. Water the site well, and keep it moist while it breaks down. Over time, the soil will settle as the waste decays underneath, and the dirt keeps it protected from pests in the meantime.

Trench Composting

Covering trench layers with soil locks in valuable nutrients.

Trench compost is similar to lasagna composting, except it uses deep furrows instead of wide beds. It’s great for feeding vegetables and fruit trees, as you can dig near their roots and have the compost break down near them. 

The first step is to dig a trench. Dig a foot down, and set the soil aside. Place your greens and browns in the trench, then put the soil back on top of them. 

Water the trench and keep it moist while the waste breaks down. As it decays, the resulting humus particles will feed your crops and keep them healthy while they grow.