The finished product is rich, dark, crumbly and sweet-smelling. It is made of recycled garden and kitchen waste, and can also include paper products. It is used to feed and condition the soil and in making potting mixes. Around 40 per cent of the average dustbin contents are suitable for home-composting so it helps cut down on landfill too.
Making compost is often considered to be complex but all you need to do is provide the right ingredients and let nature do the rest.
There are a variety of bins on the market but they are all just a container for the composting process. A bin is not necessary you can just build a heap and cover it over with some polythene or cardboard. However, bins do look neater and are easier to manage. You can build your own, buy one from Powerscourt Garden Pavilion.
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A compost bin should be:
Easily accessible
Have no gaps in the sides and may be insulated with cardboard or straw
Has a lid or cover
Position:
In a sunny or semi-shaded position
Directly on the soil or turf
Away from water-courses
What can I compost?
Anything that was once living will compost, but some items are best avoided. Meat, dairy and cooked food can attract vermin and should not be home-composted.
For best results, use a mixture of types of ingredient. The right balance is something learnt by experience, but a rough guide is to use equal amounts by volume of greens and browns (see below).
Some things, like grass mowings and soft young weeds, rot quickly. They work as 'activators', getting the composting started, but on their own will decay to a smelly mess.
Older and tougher plant material is slower to rot but gives body to the finished compost - and usually makes up the bulk of a compost heap. Woody items decay very slowly; they are best chopped or shredded first, where appropriate.
Until next time,
Justin Smyth
Horticulturalist at Powerscourt Garden Pavilion
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A compost bin should be:
What can I compost?
