How to Make your Own Compost

Composting is nature's way of breaking down materials, be it on the forest floor or in your bin. Anything natural such as leaves, fruit, vegetables, wool or paper will slowly rot and decompose over time thanks to the help of myriad organisms, bacteria, fungi, and insects. It might sound gruesome but what remains is a rich, nutrient packed substance, which looks similar to soil, that your garden will love. While composting isn’t particularly hard to do, experts agree that it isn’t an exact science either as there are numerous variables that can lead to either a slimy pile of goo or a heap of dry chippings that aren’t breaking down – neither of which you want. Here’s our foolproof guide to getting it right.

There are plenty of good reasons to compost. Estimates have shown that around 30 per cent of household waste is compostable, although most of it ends up in the bin. By collecting your food scraps, you dramatically reduce the size of your rubbish bag each week and help to reduce the amount of household waste ending up landfill. Composting also gives you a constant supply of chemical-free fertiliser, which your plants will thank you for. Better still, eschewing commercial compost of the type found in your local garden centre means you’re not buying peat. Thanks to the national appetite for compost, 94 per cent of Britain’s ancient peat bogs have been destroyed or damaged, and as a result, some of our most important eco-systems have been lost forever. While nothing can ever really compensate for that, by creating your own compost, you’re both helping to protect boggy eco-systems and making a new one, as many species will be attracted to the food and warmth available in your heap. Even city dwellers can get involved in composting. The ‘dalek’ style bins are ideal for smaller spaces and can be moved around easily and work just as well on concrete they do on grass. These are also the kind of bins that councils provide so you can get them cheap. Even if you only have a balcony, you can still compost and give away the fruits of your labour to friends with gardens or who are trying their hand at container planting and growing their own.

The easiest way to start is by ‘cool composting’. For this, you’ll firstly need to buy a compost bin or set up a suitable spot in your garden. There are different kinds of compost bins on the market, ranging from ultra basic such as the plastic ‘dalek’ style, to more technologically advanced galvanised steel with a lockable lid. If you have an allotment or a large garden, you could invest in, or build, a New Zealand box (an open air wooden tub with slatted sides). Choose a nice sunny spot with plenty of heat and light, and place your heap or bin on a patch of soil or concrete. Once your compost site is sorted, all you have to do is regularly top it up with the right sort of waste and watch the natural decomposition process take place, giving it a gentle helping hand when necessary. You can be as lazy or as active as you like. The more you manage your compost, however, the faster it’ll be ready for the garden.


Source: The Ecologist