Figuring out what is organic compost, what are it's key components, tips on making a great compost and what not to do; along with a a troubleshooting guide.

What is Compost?
Compost is the end product of the decomposition of organic matter. ‘Composting’ is the process by which you can control the process of decaying the organic matter by providing optimal conditions. Organisms like bacteria, fungi and protozoa, break down organic waste in a moist, aerobic (oxygen-demanding) environment. The final product is a dark, crumbly form of decomposed organic matter.
Improving your soil is the first step towards growing healthy plants. The benefit of compost is that it improves the nutrient composition of the soil. When added to soil, compost can help break up heavy clay soils, or help sandy soil retain water and nutrients; and essentially releases essential nutrients.

Composting
When making compost, our job is to provide the optimal environment for beneficial organisms to do their work. If done correctly, the decomposition process works very rapidly—sometimes in as little as two weeks! To make effective compost in a short time, we need a balance of four things:
Browns for Carbon: Carbon-rich materials are the energy food for microorganisms. You can identify high-carbon plant materials because they are dry, tough, or fibrous, and brownish in color. E.g. dry leaves, straw, rotted hay, sawdust, shredded paper, twigs etc.
Greens for Nitrogen: High-nitrogen materials provide the protein-rich components that microorganisms require to grow and multiply. This includes freshly pulled weeds (preferably without seeds), fresh grass clippings, over-ripe fruits and vegetables, waste scraps from the kitchen, tea leaves, coffee grindings and other moist green matter. Cow dung also falls in this category.
Water: The right amount of moisture is very important for the composting process. While too much moisture will drown the microorganisms; too little water will dehydrate them. It should be moist, but not wet! Just ensure you sprinkle a moderate amount of water on the compost pile each time you turn it. Covering compost pile with a tarpaulin or even a sack will make it easier to maintain the right moisture level.
Oxygen: To do their work most efficiently, microorganisms require a lot of oxygen. While there is plenty of air in freshly laid compost pit, once the decomposition starts, the microorganisms start using up the compost. That’s why it’s important to turn the compost pile over frequently to ensure a constant supply of air.
Take care NOT to compost
Cooked food or items like Breads, oil, meat remains – May attract pests
Personal hygiene items like disposable nappies, paper napkins, etc – These are unhygienic and may contain harmful microorganisms. Pet wastes are avoidable for similar reasons.
Heavily coated or glossy papers/ heavily dyed materials – Harmful colours or dyes can leach into the compost.

Tips to make good compost
1. To make good compost you need roughly similar amount of 'greens' and 'browns' by volume. You can also add small amounts of other ingredients. If you have a balanced pile, it will speed up the decomposition, an unbalanced pile may take much longer and may not produce a very pleasant end product.
2. The more surface area the microorganisms have to work on, the faster the materials will decompose. So avoid larger wastes, try and cut up or shred waste material to speed things up
3. A large compost pile will insulate itself and hold in the heat created by the tiny organisms. Piles smaller than 3 feet x 3 feet x 3 feet have trouble holding this heat, while piles larger than 5 feet x 5 feet x 5 feet prevent enough air from reaching the center of the pile and the microbes. In addition, turning a large pile is a chore. If your pile is large, you will have to turn it more often. If the pile is small, you will get a good batch of compost during warm months.
4. Maintain optimal moisture & oxygen level. Whenever you add water, be sure to mix the material to distribute the moisture evenly. Turning the materials in your pile supplies oxygen to the composting organisms. The more you turn, the quicker it will decompose.

COMPOST STRUCTURES
You can either use any big plastic container as composting bin, or you can start with a pit in your yard. The sides should be loose enough to provide some air movement and one side should open for easy turning and compost removal. The lowest layer can be old newspapers and dry leaves, and then start off with your greens and browns.

When is it ready?
Compost can be made in as little as six to eight weeks, or, more usually, it can take a year or more. In general, the more effort you put in, the quicker you will get compost.
When the ingredients you have put in your container/ pit have turned into a dark brown, earthy smelling material, the composting process is complete. It is then best left for a month or two to 'mature' before it is used. Don't worry if your compost is not fine and crumbly. Even if it is lumpy, sticky or stringy, with bits of twig and eggshell still obvious, it is quite usable. It can be sieved before using if you prefer. Any large bits can be added back into your new compost heap.

USING COMPOST
Compost is a soil amendment to improve the quality of the soil. The nutrients will be released slowly over a period of time. Mix compost with soil to enrich soil for flowers and vegetables. It can also be used as a top-dressing for lawns, or as a mulch. You can also add it to the potting mix (about one third by volume) for small plants.

Efficient Composting Troubleshooting guide

Symptoms	Problems	Solutions
Rotten odor	Not enough air; pile too wet	Turn pile; add coarse, dry materials (straw, dry leaves etc.)
Ammonia odor	Too many greens (excessive nitrogen/lack of carbon)	Add browns (straw or paper)
Pests, such as rats or insects	Meat or fatty food scraps in pile	Remove meat and fatty foods from pile; cover with a layer of soil or sawdust; build an animal-proof compost bin.