Why should I compost?
• Organic matter improves soil
structure and gives life. It opens up heavy soils, aids drainage
and provides good growing conditions. Light or sandy soils
benefit from its moisture retentive properties.
• It provides nutrients for plants. The nutrients in your
compost depend on what has been put in your bin, but will always
contain a wide range of trace elements and plant foods.
• It is a completely natural product. In nature, all living
things eventually decay; composting simply speeds up the
process.
• It is free and environmentally friendly. Up to 30% of
household waste is organic and can be converted into compost for
use in the garden. Composting is good for plants, good for the
environment and good for us.
Where should I locate my
Composter?
• Preferably in a warm or
sheltered position, but this is not essential.
• place on bare soil. This will aid drainage and allow worms and
bacteria to enter and aid breakdown of the raw material.
What can I put in it?
• Garden Waste: All types of
garden waste including annual weeds, grass cuttings, fallen
fruit and old vegetable plants, bedding plants, chopped prunings,
hedge clippings, horse and poultry manure and urine, straw,
feathers, dried fallen leaves, sawdust and wood shavings,
shredded wood and twigs, seaweed, spent compost.
• Household Waste: Teabags/leaves, egg shells, coffee grounds,
fruit and vegetable waste, human and animal hair, feathers,
shredded and soaked cardboard, paper, wood ash.
• Avoid: Cooked food and meat (attracts rodents).
How to Make the Best Compost?
The composting process requires
raw material, water and air. Good compost comprises a balance of
as many ingredients as possible. Too much grass will create a
slimy mess; too much woody material will create a dry heap,
which decomposes very slowly. Chopping and cutting ingredients
into small pieces before adding to the composter will facilitate
faster decomposition.
The most important balance to
achieve is the proportion of woody, high carbon material (e.g.
dried leaves, straw, paper, twigs, hedge clippings) to sappy,
high nitrogen material (e.g. plants, weeds, vegetables & fruit,
grass, manure). The woody material keeps the compost open and
aerated, preventing the soggy mass that results from composting
too much nitrogen-rich material (such as grass cuttings).
However, it provides little or no nutrients for the bacteria in
the heap, which creates the heat required for good composition.
Soft material contains the nitrogen needed by bacteria, plus
water. During colder months a piece of polystyrene or old carpet
placed in the bin on top of the compost will prevent heat loss.
An essential ingredient for
composting is air. The best way to introduce air into the
composter is to fork up the contents and turn it over. It is a
good idea to do this on a regular (monthly) basis.
When will the compost be ready
to use?
Shredded material that has been
kept moist and turned several times can be ready for use in the
garden in just a few months but six months is more typical. The
length of time really depends on the mixture of ingredients, air
temperature, size of coarser material and how quickly the
composter unit was filled. Compost at the bottom will always be
ready first, so always remove from the bottom first.
If a finer texture is
preferred, sieve out the coarse material; this can be used as
mulch around the garden or in the base of planters/garden pots
to provide drainage and nutrients, or simply replace in the bin
for further breakdown. Do not use garden compost for delicate
seedlings because it is not sterile.
Happy Gardening.
