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How to Make Compost
Most gardeners know that composting garden and kitchen refuse saves money and enriches the soil. However, many consider that the space a compost bin occupies is better used for plants. An attractive way to hide service areas and such mundane items as compost bins is to create out-of-the- way corners that can be hidden by a fence on which ornamental climbing plants, climbing vegetables and fruit such as cucumber, beans, peas or grapevines are grown. Even if such a space is not available, there are ways of making compost without the process being too unsightly.
One way is to use an old 200-litre oil drum with holes drilled in the bottom of it. Other suitable containers are old plastic garbage cans with their entire bottoms removed. The bottom is then screened with chicken wire or concrete reinforcing wire to keep the contents in place. Such containers must be topped with some window screening, shade cloth or similar material to keep out the flies and other vermin. Raise the bin on bricks or blocks to permit adequate drainage and to create the all-important air circulation. If the moisture drains out of these containers, it will stain concrete or aggregate, so if you are making your compost in an area covered in this way, put a drip tray underneath it. There may not be much drainage off the compost, but it is best to take the precaution.
To make compost in such containers, alternate layers of kitchen and garden waste with a layer of fine soil plus a source of nitrogen such as well rotted poultry manure or, if you are not averse to using chemical fertiliser, sulphate of ammonia. Should you prefer your compost to remain organic, use blood and bone.
A successful composting process requires a good carbon/nitrogen ratio, oxygen, moisture, small particles, good ambient temperature (not too hot, not too cold) and a source of microbes.
WHAT NOT TO INCLUDE
There are a number of things which should not be put into the compost bin. In most cases the reason is self-evident. Here is a short list of some of the more important ones:
- Do not use cooked kitchen scraps as they will sometimes putrefy and will attract vermin.
- Do not use the roots of perennial grasses such as couch grass; they will only multiply within the heap and create a great deal of trouble.
- The prunings of woody plants take far too long to rot and can be a source of nuisance in compost bins.
- Any material that is diseased or infected with pests should always be discarded.
- Do not use inorganic materials such as plastic or metal.
WHAT YOU CAN USE
Successful composting depends on having a good balance of wet and dry materials. Sometimes these are called greens and browns, and the technical term is the nitrogen/carbon ratio.
- Greens are things like vegie scraps, green grass clippings, green leaves.
- Browns include dry straw, torn paper, dead leaves.
- Make sure the compost is in contact with the soil or, if the container is off the ground, add a handful of compost to introduce the microbes that are necessary for breakdown.
- A sprinkling of Yates Garden Lime can be helpful.
If your composting is unsuccessful, consult the checklist in Yates Garden Guide.
