20 things to know before you start composting at home.  Composting is easier than it seems, and it gives you a chance to create your own gardener's gold, which is what gardeners call this rich mixture of decomposing materials that can be used to enrich your garden. A compost pile doesn't have to take up a ton of space, so you can do it on a small or large scale—and it doesn't matter whether you have a tiny garden plot or a rambling country garden.