How to Make a Compost Heap Work - Advice and Information!
It is so easy to make a good compost heap - if you do it
properly. We give you the advice and information to get your compost heap up and
running properly.
For reliable results with your compost heap - or compost bin -
it is best to use a range of garden and household waste from a vegetable source
- i.e. something that has grown in the ground at some point in its life! So that
does not include dead bodies of any kind whatever! A list of suitable composting
material follows at the bottom of this article.
If you are just starting out on composting, then a
'ready-made' plastic bin will probably suit you best - the larger the better.
Here are a few bits of advice and information on making your compost heap work
for you.
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The quicker you fill your bin with the composting waste, the
better it will work. For vegetable waste to turn into a non-smelly usable
compost, it has to be 'managed' and not simply put on a heap. Soil-borne
micro-organisms are the key to success, and they can be added to the compost
simply by including a spade-full of garden soil - or two over time.
Alternatively, you can use perhaps a spade-full from a previous fully composted
heap. Most manufactured bins will have instructions, but basically
the composting material should be kept damp - not wet - and you will find a
greater speed of composting in the summer than in winter. The waste will need
heat to decompose into a nice compost. A well managed composter will generate
it's own heat during the composting process. |
You will probably need a couple of compost bins, for most
compost will take around 9-12 months to decompose. So the idea is to fill one
bin, then leave it to decompose as you start on the next one.
Good composting materials for your compost heap
- Most Kitchen waste - avoid bones!
- Newspapers - magazines not too good. All best shredded
firstly
- Green materials such as prunings and grass cutting
- Old bedding plants and weeds - but preferably not the nasty
perennial weeds such as dock roots and bindweed.
- Shredded wood - but not too much sawdust
Bad Composting materials which are best not used on the
compost heap.
- Meat
- Fish
- Bones
- Fat
- Plastic coated paper
- Glossy Magazines
- Conifer clippings - or most other evergreen matter.
- Dog or Cat mess
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