Home Composting

There are a number of good modestly priced bins available at hardware shops and nurseries, or you can make your own using bricks, bales of hay or wood. If your compost is made in one of the commercial compost bins, its success depends on one simple rule -getting the correct compost recipe. For peak efficiency you need a good balance of these basic four ingredients.

Greens - fruit and vege scraps, lawn clippings, tea leaves, etc.

Browns - paper, tree clippings, cabbage stalks, cereal boxes, leaves, etc.

Water and Air - then apply the A.D.A.M. principle.

Avoid composting meat, fish, dairy products and fats as these create odour and fly problems. Always start with a coarse 100 - 150 mm layer of material then add a bucketful of greens with a bucket load of browns, with a little water if the material is dry. Then mix to create a hard working compost stew. The compost needs to be moist with the consistency of a well squeezed out sponge. Within a few days the bin will heat up and begin to shrink. This is the start of the composting process. Fill the bin as quickly as possible and cover with straw, soil, old sacks or similar materials. Finally fit the lid and leave the compost to mature, start another bin or collection area. If possible check the bin after three to four weeks to make sure it has not dried out, add water if required and if possible mix or turn to speed up the composting process.

After about six weeks, if the weather is warm, your compost should be ready.

Autumn leaves make great compost. However, if your street or garden is thickly planted with deciduous trees and there are far too many leaves for the compost bin, you can leave them to rot down in a pile in a sunny spot in the garden. Rake them into a tidy heap, sprinkle with lime or dolomite and cover tightly with a sheet of black plastic.