Home Composting Made Easy

Home composting is one of the most rewarding jobs when it comes to organic gardening and your plants and crops will certainly reap in the rewards as well. By following these simple steps your compost will be sweet smelling, crumbly, dark and rich with nutrients.

Not only is home composting good for your garden and all that you plant in it, but it also certainly makes a difference on the environment. Around 40 per cent of the content in an average dustbin is suitable to put in a compost heap or two, which is fantastic when it comes to reducing the amount of landfills we use.

Getting started

Step 1

When it comes to making compost you automatically think what in, well there are many compost bins that will certainly have you on your way to self sufficiency, but you can always make a simple compost heap if you prefer.  When it comes to shopping for the right compost bin make sure that it is easily accessible complete with a lid or cover and has no gaps in the sides.

Step 2

Next on the agenda is where to place the heap on bin. To ensure your soil is rich and crumbly keep it away from water courses, placed directly on soil or turf and in a sunny or partially shaded area. Before adding your ingredients you can choose to insulate with straw or cardboard.

The Ingredients

Step 3

There are not many rules when it comes to what is suitable for home composting; almost anything that was once living (excluding dairy, meat and cooked food, of course), grass mowing, flower trimmings, young weeds, woody items, vegetable peelings, comfrey leaves, nettles, shredded waste paper, sawdust, magazines and newspapers (but better for the environment if you recycle) and so much more.

Tip: Make sure the ingredients are balanced (the same amount of green products that there are brown products, soft and tough) this quicken the composting process. 

What to do next

Step 4

As you’re filling the box with all your green and brown products make sure to give it a good mix and water it as you go. As the weeks progress and your compost bin heats up make sure to turn the heap, give it another mix and if dry, water it. However, if it is soggy, dry it out. Repeat this if the bin or heap keeps heating up, but this should reduce as time goes on. If it stops heating up, leave to finish composting.

Note: The garden compost needs to be turned when it heats up as the new supply of air allows the fast acting aerobic microbes, which regulate the oxygen in the mixture to continue with their work.

The Finished Product

Step 5

When the composting process has completed, leave for a few months to mature. It doesn’t matter if your compost isn’t fine or crumbly it can still be used, but if you are particular with your compost you can sieve it, removing large clumps and putting it back into the heap or bin.

If you put a lot of effort into your composting you can turn out an amazing compost in around 6 to 8 weeks, but more than usually it takes a year or so until you have a rich product to be proud of.