Compost

Compost is one of nature’s best mulches and soil improvers. Best of all compost is cheap and you can make it without spending money. Using compost improves soil structure, texture, aeration and increases the soil’s water-holding capacity.

Compost also improves the quality of clay soils and helps sandy soils retain water. Adding homemade compost to your beds and borders improves soil fertility, stimulates development in plants and reduces leaching of nutrients in the soil. The organic matter provided in compost provides food for micro-organisms that are living in your soil, which keeps the soil in a healthy, balanced condition.

How to make compost

To make good compost you need to get the balance right other wise the bacteria and micro organisms that produce the compost won’t work at optimum level.

1 Choose your compost bin. Bins comes in various shapes and sizes
2 Select a sunny corner of your garden ideally on situated level soil to encourage worms and micro organisms to speed up the process
3 Starting adding compost material to your bins adding equal parts greens to woody material, aim to have a 5cm layer of each parts.
4 To help speed the process up you will need to lift and turn the compost to aerate it and mix the outer material to the inside. Cover the compost to help retain heat and keep the rain out.
5 Compost can take anything from 16 weeks to a year plus to be ready for garden use. When the compost is ready it will look dark brown in colour, a crumbly texture, slight damp with a earthy orderless smell.

What to compost

* Animal manure * Cardboard rolls * Clean paper * Coffee grounds and filters * Cotton rags * Dryer and vacuum cleaner lint * Eggshells * Fruits and vegetables * Grass clippings * Hay and straw * Houseplants * Leaves * Sawdust * Shredded newspaper * Tea bags * Wood chips

What NOT to compost

*Coal or charcoal ash *Dairy products *Diseased or insect-ridden plants *Gloss and colour paper *Fats, grease, lard, or oils *Meat or fish bones and scraps *Pet wastes *grass clippings treated with chemical pesticides

If you need help creating a composting area in your garden contact the Greenspace team.We can help with sourcing/ building the right size of composting bins for your gardens needs and starting the process off for you.