For composting

Joined: 30 Apr 2008 Posts: 40

Getting the right balance for your compost is really important.
when i first had a compost i used this site which tells you what you can and can not put in.
hope you find it helpfull i know i did.
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicgardening/compost_1.php
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Joined: 03 May 2008 Posts: 84

Another problem is the level of moisture and aeration.

If your food is still sitting there, mummified after several weeks/months, maybe you have not enough moisture. Cut contents smaller if you are putting springy plant matter in, and water. Ensure the sides are enclosed, though with some air holes, and put an old piece of carpet over the top.

Conversely, if you have a slimy, smelly mess, you have it too wet, and not enough air, and the decay is anaerobic. This means you need to put some rough stuff in that will allow more air spaces.

Two top tips:

Add a little soil as a thin layer, if it doesn't get started - it has all the bugs in that do the decaying.

Also take a jam jar to the bathroom with you. Urine contains nitrogen which is needed for the process. Add it to the water you put on the heap.

Joined: 30 Apr 2008 Posts: 137 Location: Trowbridge

Home-made compost is a great soil conditioner and plant food. Good compost will take about six months to produce if you turn it regularly.

Compost recipe

What should you put on your heap? The simple answer is anything that has lived. But exclude all meat, fat and anything that has been cooked, as these will attract vermin. Also avoid citrus remains because they are slow to rot and very acidic, which reduces worm activity.

Very few plants contain the right balance of nitrogen and carbon on their own to make perfect compost. Most piles have too much nitrogen, especially if the main source is from grass cuttings and kitchen waste - the result is an evil-smelling sludge. Equally, an excess of carbon will significantly slow down the composting process.

Nitrogen typically comes from lush green material and carbon from woody stems. For every barrow load of cut grass, you should mix in the same volume of straw, sawdust or cardboard. Ensure any woody material is broken into small pieces or shredded.

Except for gloss or colour-printed paper, all packaging can be composted. It should be scrumpled up and mixed in equally with the normal vegetable waste to allow plenty of air to get in, rather than placed in lasagne-like layers.

Do it: all year round

How to do it

1. Siting your compost bin. Find a sunny corner of your garden, on soil, where you can site either a plastic compost bin or build a compost bin using wooden pallets or similar. Setting your bin up on soil will allow worms and other micro-organisms from the earth to speed up the composting process.
2. Adding organic waste. Start adding organic waste, aiming for an equal mix of green and woody waste (see Monty's compost recipe above). Build up your heap in layers, or mix the ingredients as you go.
3. You can speed up the process by turning your heap occasionally with a garden fork, to aerate it, mixing the outside ingredients to the inside. Make sure you cover your bin to keep the rain out.
4. When the mixture turns brown and crumbly, and very slightly sweet smelling, the process is complete.

Avoid sickly plants, such as brassicas, if they have clubroot, and blight-ridden potato and tomato plants.

Autumn is a good time to either dig your compost into the soil, or spread it on the surface, allowing winter frosts to break it down even further. Try sieving compost it first.

Keep your compost warm by covering it with a layer of old carpet or plastic sheeting.