How To Make Compost

Compost is not only easy to make but also a fantastic way to recycle your green waste at home. On top of this, compost is something from which your whole garden can benefit. If you have a vegetable garden then you will know how valuable a good source of compost is.

It is quite simple to build compost piles and advisable to have more than one composts pile, each in different stages of maturity. Obviously this is dependent on space in your yard.

If you do not have much space available to you, you may want to consider a compost bin or a compost tumbler or even a worm compost farm like Can-O-Worms. Take a look at the options you have in the side margins of this page.

Composting is a natural process that happens in nature, so providing you follow these easy guidelines on how to make compost you will have some mature compost within a year.

What can I compost?

Garden clippings, grass and small branches
Kitchen compost peelings
Used tea bags, broken open
Leaves
Soil
Shredded larger branches or corn stalks

Do not add leaves or grass in a thick layer as it prevents the movement of air and water which slows the breakdown process.

What not to compost:

Do not add cooked food or dog faeces.

Animal manure, like horse and chicken, can be added which accelerates the breakdown of the organic matter.

Making a compost pile – how to make compost

You can make a free standing compost pile on a cleared area in your garden in a flash!

Step 1 - Choose a relatively flat area, sunny secluded in your yard. Turn over a 1 meter squared area of soil to allow the movement of bacteria and earthworms.

Step 2 - Lay down a layer of small branches, torn newspaper, shredded cardboard boxes. Water it well.

Step 3 - Next add a layer of kitchen peelings and other green plant matter.

Step 4 - Add some horse or chicken manure if you have, then add a layer of leaves. Water well.

Step 5 - Cover with a layer of soil.

Step 6 - Keep adding layers to your pile until it reaches about 1m high.

Keep your compost heap moist which aids the process. You can buy accelerators to speed up the process, but borage leaves also do the trick. This way it should take about three months for your compost to be ready. You can check it buy turning it every month or measuring the temperature of the heap by sticking in a metal rod to the centre. If the rod comes out hot, it’s probably ready!

Other types of compost:

Liquid feed for plants

Worm compost bin

Leaf mould or leaf compost

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