Composting

Composting at home is a very effective way to reuse garden and kitchen waste that is produced around the home. Composting is most useful for anyone who has access to a garden and intends to do a lot of their own growing. It can provide a large amount of essential grow material that would otherwise have to be bought. Composting is less useful and accessible to those who do not have access to gardens as they will need a comparatively much smaller amount of compost to grow what they need. Those without gardens will also not have the space to compost. However, for those who can it is easy to get started and maintain.

Firstly, the compost unit itself can be built from wooden pallets and should be a minimum of 1m3. The base should be the ground with no hard surface to impede drainage. The three sides can be made of anything and do not necessarily need to be open. Wooden pallets can be reused in order to build this. The front should also be sealed by a wooden pallet, though it does not have to be as tall and should be removable to allow for the compost to be accessible. It does not necessarily need a roof, though a tarpaulin or other form of cover should be on hand to keep the compost dry in wet weather.

Secondly, the material that should be used is:

between 25 and 50 percent soft green materials (e.g. grass clippings, annual weeds, vegetable kitchen waste, or manure) to feed the micro-organisms
remainder should be woody brown material (e.g. pruning, wood chipping, paper, cardboard, straw or dead leaves)

Material should be shredded to increase the speed with which it breaks down. One should avoid letting one type of material dominate the heap. As much should be put into the pile in one go as possible in order to produce the best results. The compost should be turned to introduce air once a month.

Temperature is a factor to consider. Green waste will make the compost hotter, but heat is not essential for compost, it just makes the process happen more quickly. 55-75 degrees Celsius is a good range to aim for.

Moisture levels are vital to monitor and are one of the number one reasons for failed compost. Turning the heap and covering during wet weather will prevent moisture build-up. A quick check to see if the heap is too set is that if, when a handful is squeezed, more than two drops of water comes out. If this is the case, then there is too much water in it.

Compost can take between 6 months to 2 years to prepare. When it is ready, it should ideally be a dark brown colour and you should be able to run a garden fork through it and have any clumps break down easily.

Check out the resources page for more information on composting, including video guides.