How to Make Your Own Compost

Making your own garden compost is very rewarding. You will actively be living green by returning to the soil the natural ingredients it needs to create a steady supply of nutrient-rich soil for your garden. Your garden plants and vegetables will thrive.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Prepare the compost-making container

You can buy a pre-made compost bin from your nearest garden center or you can simply make your own container which is far more economical and works just as well.

To make the container, all you need are four sides and a covering of some sort. Four similar-sized pieces of wood, nailed together work well or, alternatively, you can use breeze blocks to make an enclosure into which you will throw garden clippings and kitchen waste.  Remember that you need easy access to the compost once it is ready for use, so you will need to leave a detachable door on one side so that the compost is within easy reach.

If you have opted for the breeze bricks, simply leave an opening on one of the sides. 

Wood is an ideal material to use as it is completely eco-friendly, economical and quicker to put together than a brick-sided enclosure.

2.  Adding your drainage material

Once you have your “container” ready then line the bottom with biodegradable material that will help absorb the compost faster.  You can use straw, twigs or newspaper.

3.  Heating things up 

For your waste to be turn into compost successfully, you need heat for the waste material to break down into its basic nutrients. Interspersing thin layers of already mature compost or even potting soil between layers of waste, will help trap the heat naturally generated by the decaying process and your waste will compost faster.

4. Cover and Turn 

Another way to keep the temperature high is to cover it up with old potato sacks, a sheet of plastic, or even a thick blanket will do.  Compost normally takes about three or so months to degrade.  You can help things along by turning the heap once or twice a month.  Simply uncover and using a garden fork or shovel simply “turn” the compost to redistribute the heat.

5.  Materials suitable for compost making  

Raw vegetables and peelings, grass/lawn, old plants, hedge clippings, animal waste (chickens, dogs, cats), weeds, rotten fruit or fruit pips and peels and shredded newspaper.

Once you have the compost making process going well, keep feeding it so that the degrading process goes on uninterrupted and you will have a steady source of wonderful, rich compost for your garden. Enjoy the process!

For additional information and help go to  World's Best Compost.

Incidentally, should you decide to buy a copy of the ebook, I will be paid a small commission :)