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How to make your own compost

As a family that loves a cup of tea, it occurred to me just how many teabags we got through in a day.  Needless to say used teabags make the basis of my homemade compost.  We do try to eat healthily in our house and fresh “greens” i.e. potato and carrot peelings all go into my composting tub.  I keep an old ice cream tub in my kitchen window; this collects my day-to-day waste (it also cuts out on trips to the compost bin).  Eggshells are also biodegradable, but make sure you crush them before they go into the compost bin.  As a rule, if the waste is derived from a living matter, it can be composted.   Don’t use cooked food waste as this can attract rodents into your garden.

Good homemade compost consists of an even blend of both “green” and “brown” waste. 

Green waste: High in Nitrogen and break down easily
Fruit & Vegetable peelings
Lawn clippings
Annual weeds
Dead flower heads
Algae from ponds
Pet waste – Vegetarian pets only
Tea bags

Brown waste:  High in carbon and break down slowly
Paper
Cardboard
Sawdust
Straw
Twigs & small branches

To be avoided:
Autumn leaves – use to make leaf mould instead
Dog & cat waste
Diseased vegetable & garden waste
Meat scraps – Rats love this!

Anything sprayed with weed killer

Types of bin
Firstly you need a bin to hold your heap together.  Black or green plastic bins can be purchased from large DIY and garden centres.  We ordered ours over the Internet and had it delivered free of charge.   These plastic bins are quite unsightly and don’t blend themselves in very well.  Alternatively you can make your own compost corner.

Placement
Bins should ideally be placed straight onto the earth.  At the moment ours are placed onto tarmac.  If you have to site your bin onto hard material, make sure you throw in a good thick layer of topsoil first.  Hopefully the soil will already have some earthworms in it to start the composting process. 
Don’t put your bin too close to the house – If there is more green material than brown in the bin, it may become smelly!
Don’t put your bin too far away – you don’t want to go on a hike if it’s pouring down!

Make sure your bin gets some sunshine throughout the day.  Heat is needed to decompose the matter.

Filling the compost bin
Add alternate layers of green and brown material.  Too much green material in one go will go slimy and start to smell.  Ideally layers should be about 10cm thick.   Occasionally a thin layer of vegetarian animal manure can be added to help with heat retention.  As you add layers, don’t forget to sprinkle water into your compost bin occasionally, especially in the summer months.  The compost heap should be kept quite moist, but not too soggy.  Try to water the brown layer, as the green layer contains moisture already.  Always replace the lid onto the compost bin.  Covers keep the heat in and the rain out!

In three to six months time the compost should be brown and crumbly in texture, this can then be used all around your garden. 

Compost accelerators
An accelerator is designed for impatient people!  The best thing to do is to let Mother Nature take her course, but if you do need a helping hand, then accelerators are available to help with the decomposition.  Simply sprinkle the accelerator between your layers, or use animal manure as mentioned above. 

Turning the Compost
Some people like to turn their compost.  This introduces more air into the mixture thus helping to decompose the waste. Be warned, it is hard work!  If correct layering has been achieved then turning should not be a necessity. 

When things go wrong
Unfortunately when I started my compost bin, I didn’t put enough brown material in it and the first one became quite smelly!  I shredded lots and lots of scrap paper and newspapers and re-layered the pile.  I also added some Garotter, which is a compost accelerator.  Over the past two weeks I have noticed that the bin smells a bit better and that it has started to heat up too.  Always a good sign!

Top Tip:  Keep your eyes out for stray worms!  We found little colonies of worms underneath piles of wood and boulders, which had been stored on tarmac.  Gently scoop the worms up and introduce them into your compost bin. This is like an all-inclusive holiday for a worm, as fresh food is always available!