Organic Herb Garden

A gardener’s guide to composting
There really is no excuse for any gardener to not compost their kitchen and garden waste. Compost is garden gold and is very expensive. Throwing your kitchen waste and grass clippings into landfill is a crime. This article is intended to inspire and advise all gardeners to create their own nutrient rich compost.

The bin

One of the reasons why I make my own compost is the cost of compost in garden centres and DIY stores. It amazes me that people would even consider buying a purpose built compost bin from a garden centre. With a little bit of time and inspiration you can build your own bin for free. My compost bin is made up from a few pallets that I picked up for free from a company on an industrial estate. Pallets make ideal compost bins as they naturally have gaps in the slates of wood which allows air to circulate around your compost. It is important to ask the company who owns the pallets first before taking them. Certain pallets are worth quite a bit of money and taking them without permission is theft!

You can also make a bin out of an old wheelie bin. You will need to cut out the bottom (so that worms can get up from the ground) as well as making plenty of holes in it so that air can get in. The other idea is to just create an open compost heap by just cornering off an area in your garden with posts and boards of wood or corrugated metal. This is probably not suitable for a smaller garden as it doesn’t look particularly attractive, but in a large garden you can tuck it behind a tree or corner it off behind a piece of spare fencing.

You will need plenty of holes in the sides so that air can get into your compost. You will also need some way to get the compost out of your bin before you can put it on your garden so some sort of door at the bottom might be useful apart from that you can let your imagination to run wild.

The garden

Having a small garden or a small space shouldn’t really be a reason not to have a compost bin. In fact you should be able to set up a suitable bin in any space. If you only have a small patio or small garden you may want to consider buying a purpose built bin, despite my comments above. This is purely because a purpose built plastic bin will probably be more contained than a home built bin. It also will probably look a little nicer.

What can I put in my compost bin?

There are two main types of items you can put into your bin. They can be classified under two headings. ‘Dry browns’ and ‘wet greens.’

Dry Browns

These include the following kinds of things

Straw

Stardust

Brown leaves

Twigs

Shredded paper

Dry brown waste is useful to add carbon to your compost.
Wet greens

These can include:

Vegetable peelings

Grass cuttings

Egg shells

Coffee grounds

Tea bags

Old cut flowers

Wet greens are high in nitrogen.

The following is a list of things you should try and avoid.

Weeds – although you can add some old weeds, it is essential that you don’t add seeds or weeds that have flowered. If you are in doubt, its best to avoid these.

Diseased plants – the diseases will end up going straight back into your garden which will cause you further problems.

Cooked food – this will attract rodents.

Meat and bones – will attract rodents and flies.

How it works

Compost is pretty fascinating stuff – once the compost is fully ready it has become a substance in its own right and no longer resembles anything that you have put into the bin. It works by decomposing the organic matter into more basic elements. The bacteria heats up the pile to around 50 degrees Celsius. Also worms in your compost break down the organic matter – worms really are your best friend!

Once your compost is ready you can dig it into your garden and greatly improve your soil – it’s free and great for the environment. You would be mad not to make your own!

Growing your own vegatables

Making your own Compost
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