How to make your own compost

Composting; a simple and eco-friendly way to deal with kitchen and garden waste. And you have your very own soil improver afterwards – for free!

What is compost?

Anything natural that will decompose over time can go in a compost pile or bin, resulting in a nutrient-rich soil bursting with oxygen, bacteria, water and organic matter.

A general rule is that you need an equal mix of materials rich in nitrogen and carbon. These can be separated into two categories.

Green materials, rich in nitrogen:

• Lawn clippings
• Vegetables and fruit peelings
• Coffee grounds
• Seaweed
• Feathers
• Green plant cuttings

Brown materials, rich in carbon:

• Wood chippings
• Paper
• Loo roll tubes
• Leaves
• Egg shells
• Tea bags
• Sawdust
• Hay

Using a container for your composting, and choosing the best place to put it will prevent it from being exposed to extremes in moisture and temperature. The more consistent the conditions are the more efficiently the bacteria and fungi can convert your waste to compost.

Make sure not to add the following to your compost:

• Meat scraps
• Fish bones
• Dairy products
• Plants treated with pesticides or fungicides
• Diseased plants
• Treated or painted wood
• Dog or cat waste

These items will attract pests to your pile, negatively impact the vital organisms, prove impossible to compost or may even be dangerous to you and your garden’s health.

What next?

Making sure you have enough air in the compost is also important. If it becomes too wet or compacted, then the process will become very slow. Turning it every now and then will reintroduce air and help you assess the moisture levels.

Looking really wet and slimy?

There’s probably too much water and not enough air. You can balance this out by adding more brown waste.

Too dry with not much activity?

Add some more green waste.

Is it starting to look dark brown? Or do it have a soil-like texture?

You’ve managed to get the balance right and it’s now mature and ready to use! Depending on the conditions, you could have compost within a couple of months.

Simple!

Combined with our biostimulants your plants are going to have access to all the nutrients they’ll need. Find out why these are a winning combination for our gardens here.