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Making your own compost is a great way to recycle your garden and kitchen waste, and even paper and card - in fact 40% of the average dustbin contents can be used for home composting. Follow our handy hints and tips on composting to create efficient and successful compost for your garden.
 What is Compost?
Compost is a rich healthy humus type fertiliser and soil conditioner that results from the decay of organic waste. Organic waste is used to describe a waste that was once living such as grass, leaves, vegetable peelings, cooked food etc. Composting is simply a means of creating the right conditions to accelerate this decay of waste. What actually breaks down the waste?
Microorganisms and invertebrates! Microorganisms (naturally occurring bacteria and fungi) are the work horses of the compost pile. They feed off the organic waste and rapidly reproduce to huge populations that excrete carbon dioxide, water, heat and humus. Invertebrates such as worms, beetles, ants and centipedes act like shredders and taxi drivers. They cut and breakdown the organic material into smaller pieces which the bacteria can then digest more easily and also act as transporters of bacteria throughout the compost pile. I keep on hearing people talk about the 3 phases of composting! What are they?
Initial decomposition phase is carried out by mesophilic microorganisms. They thrive in temperatures between 15-39 degrees centigrade and readily breakdown soluble and soft compounds. As they generate heat they die out and the next phase is dominated by thermophilic microorganisms which thrive at temperatures between 40 -65 degree temperatures. This phase is very important as not only does it rapidly degrade tough waste such as proteins, fats and carbohydrates, once the temperature reaches 55 degrees centigrade most human and plant pathogens are killed off. Once the supply of thermophilic microorganisms is exhausted the compost pile cools down and mesophilic microbes take over again as the compost goes through its curing phase. What can I compost?
Almost anything that is organic and will biodegrade. However, sense tells us that materials that will biodegrade quickest will decompose quickest. That though does not lead to the best compost. The best compost is made up by a mix of carbon and nitrogen based materials in the ratio of 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen. Mixing parts by volume will suffice for garden composting. Carbon type ingredients: These are often known as “Browns” eg Dry leaves, sawdust, stack type materials such as straw and corn, newspaper, cardboard, old bedding plants, egg boxes, wood shavings. Nitrogen Type ingredients: These are often known as “Greens” Green plant materials such as grass clippings and weeds, manure from chickens, cows, goats, vegetable peelings, fruits, tea and coffee grounds. As a general rule you should cut up large ingredients such as newspapers, vegetable peelings etc in order to increase the surface area and get a good mix between carbon and nitrogen ingredients. What other conditions are required?
Oxygen: There are two types of bacteria; Aerobic that need oxygen to survive and anaerobic that survive without the presence of oxygen. Aerobic bacteria are the hardest workers and are preferred for fast home composting. So turn your compost heap every 1-2 weeks or put in air pipes. Avoid anaerobic conditions as this can lead to foul smells. Moisture: Compost heaps should be moist to enable the decaying process to proceed but not wet as this will wash out the nutrients and restrict invertebrates such as beetles. Protect your compost heap from rain. What is Meant by Small and Often?
Exactly that! Adding small well balanced mixes of compost often to your compost heap works more efficiently than a single large heavy mass. Air and moisture will be more readily available to it and active microorganism can readily pass from more mature compost to new compost. Having more than one heap on the go is better than one very large heap. Composting accelerator provides a number of benefits: Composting can in the traditional way be very frustrating and if the mix and conditions are wrong it can take up to a year to generate useful compost. Compost accelerators contain unique strains of bacteria that have be developed to:  • Digest difficult waste such as fats and proteins that indigenous bacteria struggle to digest. • Speed up the time it takes to get to the hot and very active thermophilic stage. • Contain facultative bacteria which work in conditions where oxygen levels are lower. • Start working immediately as high populations of more than 1billion bacteria per gram are introduced into the compost. • Reduce odours. • Increase fertiliser values. Composting times can be reduced to a few short months if used correctly. I am told not to put Meat, Fish, Eggs and Cheese in my Compost! Is this True?
Normally yes! The reason why is that such ingredients decay very rapidly and in doing so take up a lot of oxygen. This can lead to anaerobic conditions with foul odours, attract maggots and cause putrefication. Of course meat and fish will also attract rodents. However, our EcoBugs compost accelerator contains unique strains of bacteria that rapidly digest such ingredients, prevent odours and stop anaerobic conditions occurring. So now you can add cooked and uncooked meats and fish and cheese, eggs etc to your compost. However, to prevent rodents you should always have a sealed bin. What should I not Compost?
Meat bones, animal litter, coal and ash, plastics and any inorganic materials such as metals. What is the Best Way to add Kitchen Waste to my Compost Heap?
Buy a small 20 litre compost bin from your garden centre. Add your waste and then mix 30gms of EcoBugs in a litre of warm water and leave for 1 hour. Pour into your compost bin and mix well. Seal and allow to ferment. This will take about 7-14 days. Good fermentation is seen when the material smells like cider vinegar. Add this fermented product to your compost heap and mix well. |
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