Compost is a fantastic fertilizer for any garden, and it’s cheap and easy to make. Follow these five easy steps to your very own home-grown compost heap:
1. Find a suitable container. Ideally, this will be plastic and with a lid to keep rain out.
2. Fill the container. As a rule of thumb, anything that has ‘lived’ is suitable for a compost heap. Things like egg shells, leftover vegetables, withered plants, twigs, vegetable and fruit peelings all work well to create compost. Amass as many of these items as you can fit in to your container, then fill it to the brim and securely place the lid on top.
3. Place the bin on a hard surface, such as a patio or wooden boards over an area of grass. It is preferable to have the bin sitting on a solid surface rather than grass or soil, though not essential. Also bear in mind that compost heaps do not smell very nice, so try to place it strategically away from any noses (such as neighbors) it may offend.
4. Leave it be! Making compost from your food and household waste is, by and large, hands off. Let it sit and do its work. Add any extra fruit or vegetable peelings you may acquire to the top of the heap as it happens, and maybe once a month use a pitchfork to “turn” the compost over – just had a good rifle through to let new air in.
5. Use it! Compost takes between nine and 12 months to develop, and when its ready it will be a light, fragrant substance which you can spread throughout your garden for extra nutrition.