How to make good compost

A good compost heap is like a good sponge cake: light, moist, made of layers and full of lots of different flavours! Keep that in mind and you won't go far wrong.

1. Position your bin on bare earth and preferably where it will get some heat from the sun. Begin with a layer of pruning or scrunched up paper to help air circulate and provide simple drainage, which helps the organisms to break down the rubbish.
2. ·Add a layer of green material then some brown material. Make sure you have a good mixture of garden and kitchen rubbish. Keep the layers light, spongy and moist.
3. Keep the bin covered to keep the contents warm
4. After 1-3 months, depending on the weather, turn the compost by throwing it out and back in again.

The compost will be ready in anything from a few months to a year or so. It should be crumbly, dark brown or black and smell sweet and earthy! Remove the compost from the bottom when it's ready. Use it as mulch, top dressing, potting compost or dig it onto the soil.

Making 'HOT' Compost

Fast compost is hot compost! If you want to make it really quickly, you need a lot of effort and a lot of material! It also works best in a cubic wooden container or open heap. Here's how to do it:

1. Make a large heap and ensure you have a mixture of materials and LOTS OF IT!
2. Chop up tough woody items using a garden shredder if possible. Its best to shred all the contents to provide a large surface area for the bugs and microbes to work on.
3. Mix everything together and add to your heap, container or bin, watering as you go.
4. Within a few days, the heap is likely to get hot to the touch. When it begins to cool down, or a week or two later, turn the heap with a garden fork. Do this as often as possible for best results.
5. You need to mix the compost well by turning it over. This adds a fresh supply of air to the system to boost the rotting process. You might need to add some water too. This process needs to be repeated a few times to ensure all the material decays quickly. Repeat until the heap no longer heats up.
6. Leave it to 'mature' until the compost is light, 'earthy' and slightly sweet smelling.

'Hot' compost can be made in six to eight weeks. In general, the more effort you put in, the quicker you will get compost. 'Hot' compost will be brown and earthy smelling. Don't worry if your compost is not fine and crumbly. Even if it is lumpy, sticky or stringy, with bits of twig and eggshell still obvious, you can still use it.

Making 'COOL' Compost

If 'hot' compost sounds like too much hard work, or you simply don't have enough material to do a 'hot rot', there is another way - 'cool composting'. Here's how to do it: ·

1. Collect together a batch of compost materials. Try, if possible, to get enough to make a layer of at least 30cm or more in the compost bin. Weed the garden, mow the lawn, and empty the kitchen bucket! ·
2. Start filling the bin. Spread the ingredients out to the edges and firm down gently. Alternate soft and tough items, or mix them together first. Unless items are already wet, water well. ·
3. Leave it to compost ·
4. Remove the container. If the lower layers have composted, use this on the garden. Mix everything else together well; add water if it is dry, or dry material if it is soggy. Replace in the bin and leave to mature.