How to Make Compost for your Garden,composting.

Making Compost is easy, here are some useful tips on composting to get you started

How do I Start Making Compost?

Here are simple and easy to follow ideas for making compost.

The first time you want to make compost you need to know just a few basic facts -

The basic way to start is:

1. Buy or build a suitable container for your compost.
2. Start to collect together the 'waste items' (compostables) that are suitable for composting.
3. Then start adding the 'compostable materials' into the composter container.

It will help speed up the compost making process if you can add the compostables in the right quantities and ratios, but you will make compost anyway so it is not essential.

As you add the materials to the compost heap you might notice that it is too dry or wet, this will slow down the pile turning into compost.

The solution to a too wet compost heap is simple, add some torn up brown cardboard shops will give you cardboard boxes if you ask for them.

If the heap of composting materials is too dry just throw a couple of buckets of water over it.

These are the only modifications you should need to make to make the heap apart from giving the composting heap a mix - by turning over the heap from time to time. This helps to speed up the composting process too.

If wetter if t is too dry or to dry it out if it is too wet.

The reason you turn the heap to mix it is to incorporate air, because turning the compost heap speeds up the process of transforming the items you are composting into a useful mix.

Making something useful from garden and household waste is basically as simple as that.

There are lots of different methods of composting but the basic principle is that the heap needs -

• the right things added (often referred too as greens and browns)
• the right amount of moisture and heat helps the process
• the right ratios of greens and browns is useful as it speeds up the process too.

Improving on your compost making skills.

If the heap is an effective mix and you can incorporate enough ingredients in layers at one time the compost heap will heat up quickly on its own.

If the compost heap/your compost bins contents do not heat up the good news you will still get compost it just takes longer to convert your waste items into usable compost.

The most common mistake when making compost results in a smelly slimy heap read what causes here -

Do not be put off. If you have tried to make compost and have ended up with a slimy heap that will not rot down the chance are you may have added too many grass clippings at one time. This is a common mistake made by first time compost builders.

It can seem as if there are lots of complicated rules about how to make compost but do not be put off attempting to make this useful environmentally friendly product for yourself.

Making garden compost is really easy and simple, things like fruit and vegetables, paper and cardboard rot and decay anyway you are just manipulating this natural process to your advantage.

There are only a few rules and these are just guide lines.

Remember that sometimes minor adjustments need to be made to the compost heap.

They will be only slight adjustments and not major problems the solution may be as simple as just pouring some water onto the heap if it is too dry. If your compost heap is too wet try adding some ripped up cardboard to it, this often is the easy solution for a too wet compost bin/ compost heap.

Composting is the word for turning rotting garden or kitchen waste into garden or vegetable fertilizer.

It needn’t take long – how long depends on what is in the heap, the weather and the composting method.

Making your own compost is easy and saves the money you would spend on commercial compost and it is a good way use up suitable household waste.

Compost is made of garden and kitchen waste and can include paper products.You need somewhere to put/store the heap of 'greens and browns' while you are composting them.

A good compost bin is:

• easily accessible - when you want to add to it/turn the contents or to empty it.
• it has a lid or cover

but a home built (humble) composter with no lid and made from four pieces of wood hammered into the ground and wire mesh sides will work - but it maybe less efficient - in that it may take longer to produce the compost and if in the garden and visible it can be too messy/unsightly.

Lots of people with allotments build compost containers from scrap wood etc. and these usually are a cheaper option.

Plans for building your own composter are easily available on the Internet or in a book.

Ideal location: where to site your compost bin.

• in a sunny or semi-shaded position
• directly on the soil or turf
• away from water-courses
• in a place where you will use it.

Try to select a bin in a style that does not give easy access to vermin, especially if the compost heap is to be situated in your garden or yard.

Things to put into your compost bin...

'Greens' or nitrogen rich ingredients

• Leaves of Comfrey plant

• Nettles

• Grass clippings

• Tea the tea leaves or bags ,

• Coffee grounds

• Young green weed growth - avoid the weed seeds

• Soft green clippings from the garden

• Poultry manure and bedding

• Raw vegetable peelings from - kitchen waste

'Browns' or carbon rich ingredients -

• Cardboard - as - cereal packets and also egg boxes

• Waste paper, some junk mail and also shredded confidential waste

• Cardboard tubes e.g. inner cardboard kitchen roll tubes.

• Bedding from pets that have a vegetarian diet -rabbits, guinea pigs the hay, straw, shredded paper, wood shavings used for their hutch.

• Tough hedge clippings ......... these will take longer to rot down

• Woody trimmings from garden plants ... these will take longer to rot down

• Old bedding plants

• Sawdust ( be selective on this - not a good idea to use saw dust from some glued products.)

• Fallen leaves can be composted but it is best to use them to make leafmould.

Remember not to site your compost bin too close to the house as they can attract mice and rats to the contents or for shelter.