Composting made easy

What is compost?

Compost is an all-round soil improver, fertiliser, and growing medium made from raw organic material from your home and garden.

Compost is packed full of nutrients which plants need to grow and thrive, and it’s a must-have for every green-fingered gardener. Though it’s readily available to buy, you can easily make your own turbocharged garden compost at home! All you need is a compost bin, some waste materials (more on those later!), a tiny amount of maintenance, and plenty of time.

The best thing about making your own compost, apart from the benefits to your plants, is that it costs so little! It uses bits and bobs from your home and garden that you’d normally throw away, making your waste into wonderful compost. It’s a no-brainer!

Choosing your composter

Composters come in a few different shapes and sizes.

Compost heaps

While you technically don’t need anything to start your own compost pile, having some sort of container will keep things tidy and give it a certain amount of protection. These large, open-topped composters are usually made of wood and have slatted sides to increase airflow.

If your garden produces a lot of waste, then a large heap or two like this will help you to create plenty of compost. Simply chuck on the waste and let time to do the rest.

Compost bins

Compost bins with lids are a reliable choice, as they retain some heat and protect the compost from the elements. They’re affordable bits of kit, ideal for gardens of any size, and will make compost faster than open heaps.

Rotating composters

Compost does require some turning every once in a while to aid with the decomposition, usually done by sticking a garden fork in and moving it around.

Rotating composters work essentially like cement mixers, letting you turn your compost quickly and easily. Not only will this make your composting journey easier, but it’ll also mean your compost is ready even quicker!

Where to put your compost bin

Compost bins work best in shaded or partly-shaded areas, as the microbes and bacteria which break down the material won’t survive if it gets too hot. This is ideal, really, as your compost bin will happily sit in those areas of the garden that the plants wouldn’t necessarily thrive in.

Ideally, your compost bin should sit on top of soil. This helps with drainage, and means that all the worms, bugs and bacteria from the soil can easily work their way into it and get to work.

What can I put in my compost bin?

Now your bin is in place, it’s time to start filling it! Firstly, lay a base of thin twigs or woodchips. This will help with initial drainage and will break down slower than everything else you put on top of it.

For heaps, you may want to put a layer of cardboard down to stifle any weeds that may try and grow through the compost while it’s new.

Loads of your home and garden waste can be composted, but not everything. Here’s a quick rundown of some common materials you can pop in your compost:

From the house:

• Vegetable scraps, peelings, and any that are past their best
• Salad leaves
• Old flowers
• Teabags
• Coffee grounds
• Cardboard – loo rolls, egg boxes, delivery boxes. Make sure you remove any staples, tape and glue, and only use cardboard that doesn’t have a ‘shiny’ finish
• Shredded or torn newspaper, with staples removed

From the garden:

• Old plants and deadheads
• Grass clippings & leaves – it’s best to leave these to dry out a little first, or add with plenty of shredded cardboard so it doesn’t become too wet
• Twigs – break these down as small as possible, or use a garden shredder
• 100% lumpwood charcoal from the BBQ once it’s burnt out and fully cooled – no briquettes, as these contain chemicals

What doesn’t go in the compost?

• Dog or cat poop
• Citrus fruit
• Meat and fish
• Perennial weeds – they’ll probably survive and thrive!
• Dairy products
• Oil
• Cooked grains like rice or pasta
• Synthetic materials

How to make compost

As you put material into your compost bin, it gets eaten up and broken down by all sorts of bacteria and micro-organisms, as well as worms and insects, which eventually leads to the soft, dark brown and beautiful compost that our gardens love so much.

Composting material is broken down into two types:

Green: leafy organic materials like plants, veg peelings and grass clippings
Brown: woody waste like twigs and hedge trimmings, along with cardboard

Ideally, you want a mix of around 30% green material and 70% brown to get a good balance, but don’t stress out about this too much – just something to keep in mind!

The smaller the pieces of material you pop in, the quicker the compost, so shred your cardboard if possible and chop up old plants into smaller bits.

Turning your compost

Mixing your compost aerates the mix and speeds up the composting process.

The easiest way to do this is with a garden fork. Dig it into your compost and mix it up as best you can. If your compost bin is getting quite full and you’re finding it difficult to reach the bottom, you can tip out your compost entirely, give it a good mix, then shovel it all back in.

When is the compost ready?

The length of time it takes for your home and garden waste to turn into compost can be anywhere between 6 months to a couple of years.

You’ll know it’s done when it’s dark brown, soft and crumbly. You can sieve out any large pieces with a large garden sieve, or you could even have 2 bins going at once.