How To Make Your Own Compost

How to Make Your Own Compost

Home Composting

Your compost is a nutrient-rich food product for your garden and will help improve soil structure, maintain moisture levels and keep your soils pH balance in check while helping to suppress plant disease. Compost improves your soil's condition and your plants and flowers will love it.

Setting Up Your Bin

The reason you should site your bin on soil is that it makes it very easy for beneficial microbes and insects to gain access to the rotting material. It also allows for better aeration and drainage, both important to successful composting.

Making Compost

Please find listed below a list of items you can add to your bin to make the best compost. If you aim for 50% "greens" and 50% "browns" in your compost it will make for the right mix.

Greens

Quick to rot and provide nitrogen and moisture:

Animal manure with straw              Bindweed                               Bracken

Brussel sprout stalk                       Carrot tops                             Citrus peel

Coffee grounds                             Cut flowers                             Fruit peelings and pulp

Fruit seeds                                    Grass mowings                       Hay

House plants                                 Old bedding plants                 Tea leaves and bags

Vegetable peelings and pulp

Browns

Slower to rot, provide carbon and fibre and allow air pockets to form:

Autumn leaves                           Cardboard                               Christmas tree

Cotton wool                              Egg boxes                                Egg shells

Hair                                          Natural corks                           Nuts

Paper bags                               Sweetcorn cobs                        Tomato plants

Used  kitchen paper                 Vacuum cleaner contents           Wood ash

Wool

Things to KEEP OUT of Your Bin

Bones                                       Coal ash                                   Olive oil

Bread                                       Crisp packets                           Plastic bags

Plastic bottles                           Cans                                        Dairy products

Cat litter                                   Nappies                                    Soiled tissues

Cigarette ends                          Dog food                                  Cling film          

Meat and fish scraps

So if you are into recycling or gardening then you may find the above information useful. 

Using Your Compost

To find out if your compost is ready to use, check to make sure your compost is dark brown and smells nice and earthy. It should also be slightly moist and have a crumbly texture.

Don't worry if you have twigs and eggshell still in your compost, just simply sift it out and put back in your compost bin.

Once ready you can use your compost in flowerbeds, enrich new borders, as mulch, around trees, replenish pots, in patio containers, growing healthier herbs and vegetables and feeding your lawn.

Now you know what to do to make your own compost.

It does take a year for your compost to be made and to be at its very best.

Have fun gardening knowing your compost is all home made and that you are doing your bit for the environment!