The finished product is rich, dark, crumbly and sweet smelling. It is made of recycled garden and kitchen waste, and can also include paper products. It is used to feed and condition the soil and in making potting mixes. Around 40 per cent of the average dustbin contents are suitable for home-composting so it helps cut down on landfill too. Making compost is often considered to be complex but all you need to do is provide the right ingredients and let nature do the rest? However, a little know-how will help you make better compost, more efficiently.
Where do you make your compost? There are a variety of bins on the market but they are all just a container for the composting process. A bin is not strictly necessary? You can just build a heap and cover it over with some polythene or cardboard. However, bins do look neater and are easier to manage. The ideal compost bin are easily accessible, has no gaps in the sides and may be insulated with cardboard or straw, and has a lid or cover. You also must placed the compost in a sunny or semi-shaded position, on the directly on the soil or turf and also away from water-courses.
What can you composed? Anything that was once living will compost, but some items are best avoided examples like meat, dairy and cooked food can attract vermin and should not be home-composted. Then, For best results, use a mixture of types of ingredient. The right balance is something learnt by experience, but a rough guide is to use equal amounts by volume of greens and browns. Although, Some things, like grass mowings and soft young weeds, rot quickly. They work as 'activators', getting the composting started, but on their own will decay to a smelly mess. Next, the older and tougher plant material is slower to rot but gives body to the finished compost, and usually makes up the bulk of a compost heap. Woody items decay very slowly; they are best chopped or shredded first, where appropriate.
How do you make my compost? You can make compost simply by adding compostable items to a compost heap when you feel like it. It will all compost eventually but may take a long time and if the mix is unbalanced, may not produce a very pleasant end product. With a little extra attention you could improve things dramatically. If you want to produce more compost in a short time, and are able to put more effort into it.
When is it ready? Compost can be made in as little as six to eight weeks, or, more usually, it can take a year or more. In general, the more effort you put in, the quicker you will get compost. When the ingredients you have put in your container have turned into a dark brown, earthy smelling material, the composting process is complete. It is then best left for a month or two to 'mature' before it is used. Don't worry if your compost is not fine and crumbly. Even if it is lumpy, sticky or stringy, with bits of twig and eggshell still obvious, it is quite usable. It can be sieved before using if you prefer. Any large bits can be added back into your new compost heap.
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