Compost Made Easy
Think C.O.M.P.O.S.T.
Here's a quick easy guide to help you remember the key points when composting.C = Create a home for your bin
Make sure your compost bin has a good spot. Ideally site your comost bin in the garden on bare soil. If you do have to put it on concrete, tarmac or patio slabs, ensure there's a layer of soil or exisitng compost on the bottom so that worms have a good place to start.
O = Out of the kitchen
Don't throw out all your kitchen waste - a third of it can be composted! Fill your kitchen caddy with vegetable and fruit peelings, teabags, paper towels and eggshells, and add this good waste to your compost bin.M = Mix the right ingredients
Make sure you put in a good balance of 'green' waste (i.e. vegetable peelings and grass cuttings) and 'brown' waste (i.e. scrunched up cardboard and twigs) to make good nutritious compost.
P = Patience
It takes between six to nine months for your compost to become ready for use, so now all you need to do is sit back and be patient - you'll be pleased you waited.O = Open the hatch or lift the bin
Check the compost is ready by opening the hatch at the bottom or lifting up the bin. If your compost has turned into a crumbly, dark material, resembling thick, moist soil and gives off an earthy, fresh aroma, you know it's ready use.
S = Scoop out
If the compost is ready, scoop out the fresh compost with a garden fork or spade.T = Transform your garden
Use your home grown compost to enrich borders and vegetable patches, plant up new containers for the patio or to feed the lawn.Click here for a more detailed composting guide.
