Making your own compost is easier than you think. With a simple compost heap, you can recycle most of your organic household & garden waste and help richen your soil at the same time. If you live in a nice sticky clay area like mine, compost becomes a necessity if you ever want to have a successful garden.
Nothing fancy here
By turning food scraps & organic waste into compost you can:
- Improve soil quality by introducing rich nutrients to the soil
- Reduce the amount of waste ending up in landfill, so doing your part for the environment.
- Recycle valuable nutrients & reduce the need for "shop bought" fertilisers
- Saves money (always a great reason)
Compost Heap:
A heap is best for the gardener with large quantities of waste. It should be at least 1 cubic metre to make sure it reaches hot temperatures. You could enclose it with bricks, chook wire, iron or wood, but make sure you have an access area to turn the compost. It should be shaded from hot sun & heavy rain to prevent excess water or drying out. A piece of carpet, hessian, tarp or plastic sheet will retain heat & protect from extreme elements.
Easy cheap compost bin
Compost Bin:
Tumble compost
In smaller gardens you may choose a compost bin or tumbler, which are both fly & vermin proof. They can be bought from nurseries, hardware shops & some forward thinking councils. You could make one from an old drum, or garbage bin. They need a tight fitting lid & should be open at the bottom (easy access for earthworms.) You want those worms, as they speed up the decaying process by loosening the compost & allowing air to circulate. If you choose a tumbler, you will help by moving the compost around & turning. As it is fully enclosed , the worms can't help & please don't add compost worms to a tumbler. They can't escape if the heat gets extreme, & also Im sure they must get dizzy.
A Healthy Compost Needs:
Water – keep the compost just damp. Over watering will ruin your compost.
Balance – add a mix of green and brown materials to make well balanced compost.
Air - turn the pile over every few weeks or every 4–6 days if using a bin.
Size - a compost heap will mature quickest if it is at least one cubic metre.
Micro-organisms - help break down the compost material. They come from the soil or old compost you add.
4 Steps to Composting
1/ Choose site - place your compost bin or heap in a well-drained area with some shade. Too much sun or heat will dry out the compost.
From pallets
2/ What to Compost?
Green:-
Aquarium water, algae, and plants (from freshwater fish tanks only) – adds moisture and a kick of nitrogen. Seaweed.
Chicken manure – has high amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
Dead houseplants – adds a dose of nitrogen, but don’t include thorny or diseased plants.
Animal manure – Horse, chicken or cow manure. Note: Do not use cat or dog faeces as you can spread disease.
Kitchen waste – Vegetable peelings, leaves and stalks, fruit peelings and cores, cooked table scraps, tea leaves, coffee grounds, egg shells and stale bread. Make sure they are buried in the pile so they don’t attract animals.
Garden waste – Grass cuttings, non-woody garden pruning, leaves, flowers and vegetable remains. These should be mixed with plenty of drier, brown material, or you’ll risk creating a smelly pile.
Brown:-
Brown garden debris – such as corn and sunflower stalks, dried legume plants, and dried potato and tomato vines, adds bulk to the pile.
Hedge pruning and twigs help keep a pile fluffy but should be chipped first so they decompose faster.
Leaves are an abundant carbon source and full of nutrients. Stockpile them in Autumn so that you have them on hand in summer.
Pine needles decompose slowly. Add only small amounts to your pile. Use excess needles as mulch.
Straw bulks up a pile, but it should not be confused with hay, which often contains weed and grass seeds and shouldn’t be added to compost (unless you want to deal with the potential consequences).
3/ Layering - Start with a thick layer of coarse material, ie twigs & mulch, for drainage purposes. Follow with a layering of garden clippings & food scraps, then dry leaves & wet paper, adding water to every layer to moisten. Then repeat. To top off, sprinkle with soil or finished compost to reduce smells.
4/ Maintaining - Keep your compost well aired to stop odours or methane. Turn with a fork every week. or you can place stakes or pipes through the heap to allow air in. Depending on the mix of ingredients, you could have working compost within 6 weeks.
Hint: cover heap so it stays moist, not wet. Add compost accelerators - comfrey, young nettles, yarrow.
What To Add To A Compost Heap:
Vegetable & food scraps
Fallen leaves
Tea leaves & bags
Coffee grounds
Vacuum cleaner dust
Soft stems
Dead flowers
Old potting mix
Used vegetable oil
Egg shells
Old wet newspaper
Grass cuttings in layers
Weeds
Lovely Composted Soil
Sawdust but not from treated timber
Wood ash
Human & animal hair
What NOT To Add To Compost:
Meat & dairy products
Diseased plants
Metal, glass or plastic
Fat
Magazines (glossy)
Large branches unless chipped
Weeds that have seeds or underground stems
Bread or cake (attracts vermin)
Bones
Sawdust from treated timber
Animal Droppings
Septic tank or toilet waste
Anything that will kill bacteria ie oil, disinfectant, herbicides, pesticides (anything sprayed too) antibiotics.
Troubleshooting:
Smelly Compost - too much moisture or not enough air. Too much food scraps & not enough dry ingredients.
- Fork in dry leaves or mulch
- Add garden lime, dolomite or fire ash to reduce acidity
- Combine ingredients with sawdust or newspaper before adding to compost
- Give your compost a floor of planks to ensure good drainage.
Pests/Vermin - cockroaches, mice or rats come to live in your compost.
- always cover food with a layer of garden waste or soil, then cover with hessian, underfelt, old carpet, tarp, or plastic.
- Turn the heap to discourage habitation
- Place fine wire underneath the bin or heap
- Don't put meat, dairy or breads in compost
Compost Slow To Mature:
Compost not getting hot enough, may not be enough air or water
Compost Bins for Small Spaces
- Add nitrogen rich material ie kitchen scraps or green garden waste
- Turn the heap & add water
- Cover the heap with insulating material in Winter if it gets too cold
Keeping a compost bin in the kitchen makes it easy and convenient to make good use of your food scraps. Just because you're in a small space doesn't necessarily mean you don't have room for a compost bin. All of the composters on this list will fit on the counter or under the kitchen sink. And just like that you're a friend of the earth!
* If you want to help your soil without bothering with a compost bin or heap, dig your food scraps into deep holes around your garden. This won't work if you have a dog or cat that will dig it right up again. But it is a quick & easy way to improve the soil over time.
 |
| Nothing fancy here |
A heap is best for the gardener with large quantities of waste. It should be at least 1 cubic metre to make sure it reaches hot temperatures. You could enclose it with bricks, chook wire, iron or wood, but make sure you have an access area to turn the compost. It should be shaded from hot sun & heavy rain to prevent excess water or drying out. A piece of carpet, hessian, tarp or plastic sheet will retain heat & protect from extreme elements.
Water – keep the compost just damp. Over watering will ruin your compost.
Balance – add a mix of green and brown materials to make well balanced compost.
Air - turn the pile over every few weeks or every 4–6 days if using a bin.
Size - a compost heap will mature quickest if it is at least one cubic metre.
Micro-organisms - help break down the compost material. They come from the soil or old compost you add.
Water – keep the compost just damp. Over watering will ruin your compost.
Balance – add a mix of green and brown materials to make well balanced compost.
Air - turn the pile over every few weeks or every 4–6 days if using a bin.
Size - a compost heap will mature quickest if it is at least one cubic metre.
Micro-organisms - help break down the compost material. They come from the soil or old compost you add.
 |
| From pallets |
Green:-
Aquarium water, algae, and plants (from freshwater fish tanks only) – adds moisture and a kick of nitrogen. Seaweed.
Chicken manure – has high amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
Dead houseplants – adds a dose of nitrogen, but don’t include thorny or diseased plants.
Animal manure – Horse, chicken or cow manure. Note: Do not use cat or dog faeces as you can spread disease.
Kitchen waste – Vegetable peelings, leaves and stalks, fruit peelings and cores, cooked table scraps, tea leaves, coffee grounds, egg shells and stale bread. Make sure they are buried in the pile so they don’t attract animals.
Garden waste – Grass cuttings, non-woody garden pruning, leaves, flowers and vegetable remains. These should be mixed with plenty of drier, brown material, or you’ll risk creating a smelly pile.
Brown:-
Brown garden debris – such as corn and sunflower stalks, dried legume plants, and dried potato and tomato vines, adds bulk to the pile.
Hedge pruning and twigs help keep a pile fluffy but should be chipped first so they decompose faster.
Leaves are an abundant carbon source and full of nutrients. Stockpile them in Autumn so that you have them on hand in summer.
Pine needles decompose slowly. Add only small amounts to your pile. Use excess needles as mulch.
Straw bulks up a pile, but it should not be confused with hay, which often contains weed and grass seeds and shouldn’t be added to compost (unless you want to deal with the potential consequences).
3/ Layering - Start with a thick layer of coarse material, ie twigs & mulch, for drainage purposes. Follow with a layering of garden clippings & food scraps, then dry leaves & wet paper, adding water to every layer to moisten. Then repeat. To top off, sprinkle with soil or finished compost to reduce smells.
4/ Maintaining - Keep your compost well aired to stop odours or methane. Turn with a fork every week. or you can place stakes or pipes through the heap to allow air in. Depending on the mix of ingredients, you could have working compost within 6 weeks.
Hint: cover heap so it stays moist, not wet. Add compost accelerators - comfrey, young nettles, yarrow.
What To Add To A Compost Heap:
Vegetable & food scraps
Fallen leaves
Tea leaves & bags
Coffee grounds
Vacuum cleaner dust
Soft stems
Dead flowers
Old potting mix
Used vegetable oil
Egg shells
Old wet newspaper
Grass cuttings in layers
Weeds
|
| Lovely Composted Soil |
Sawdust but not from treated timber
Wood ash
Human & animal hair
What NOT To Add To Compost:
Meat & dairy products
Diseased plants
Metal, glass or plastic
Fat
Magazines (glossy)
Large branches unless chipped
Weeds that have seeds or underground stems
Bread or cake (attracts vermin)
Bones
Sawdust from treated timber
Animal Droppings
Septic tank or toilet waste
Anything that will kill bacteria ie oil, disinfectant, herbicides, pesticides (anything sprayed too) antibiotics.
Troubleshooting:
Smelly Compost - too much moisture or not enough air. Too much food scraps & not enough dry ingredients.
- Fork in dry leaves or mulch
- Add garden lime, dolomite or fire ash to reduce acidity
- Combine ingredients with sawdust or newspaper before adding to compost
- Give your compost a floor of planks to ensure good drainage.
Pests/Vermin - cockroaches, mice or rats come to live in your compost.
- always cover food with a layer of garden waste or soil, then cover with hessian, underfelt, old carpet, tarp, or plastic.
- Turn the heap to discourage habitation
- Place fine wire underneath the bin or heap
- Don't put meat, dairy or breads in compost
Compost Slow To Mature:
Compost not getting hot enough, may not be enough air or water
 |
| Compost Bins for Small Spaces |
- Add nitrogen rich material ie kitchen scraps or green garden waste
- Turn the heap & add water
- Cover the heap with insulating material in Winter if it gets too cold
* horse poo, chook poo ,cow or sheep poo are always wanted. Become friendly with your chook owning neighbours, or local riders. Pidgeon poo is great too. Too acidic to be thrown straight onto the garden, but place in your compost & watch it mature.
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