Nutrients

• Get the right nutrient ratio. The most important nutrients needed for good compost are carbon and nitrogen. This is because these are two of the most basic nutrients plants use. You will need to put your compost together with a carbon/nitrogen ratio of 3 to 1. Excellent sources of carbon for compost are dry straw and leaves, newspapers, pine needles, wood chips, and egg shells. For nitrogen, toss in grass clippings (fresh), manure from barns, scraps of vegetables, and coffee grounds. You should note that some sources of nitrogen also are good sources of carbon, so sometimes you can kill two birds with one stone.
  
  

Aeration

• Make sure that air is able to circulate through the compost bin. Oxygen is needed to break down the organic matter in the compost pile. Without it, decomposition is slowed. You can help keep soil aerated properly by tossing in things like walnut shells and twigs, and by churning up the compost with a pitchfork from time to time. Provide proper drainage for the compost bin as well. Your compost should be wet enough so that a few drops of water come out if it's squeezed in your hand, but no more. If the compost is drenched, the water will fill all the pockets where oxygen might flow.
  
  

Nematodes

• Put some nematodes, a type of worm, in the compost bin. Although there are thousands of kinds of nematodes (most of which are almost microscopic), common redworms (Eisenia foetida) are the nematodes that are used in composting. The redworms will help keep the soil aerated. They also feed on the bacteria in the bin. Both of these things affect the decomposition rate of your compost. If you want to use worms in your compost, keep in mind that you'll need to be a little more mindful of the compost bin temperature, since the worms don't really like extreme temperatures. Also keep track of how much organic matter you put in the compost pile--the worms can only break down so much at a time. Composting with worms still is fairly easy, however, since compost materials like cardboard, moss, and newspaper can double as worm bedding. Composting with worms is known as vermicomposting.