How To
How to Make Compost
- Decide what sort of container you’re going to use for your compost heap.
- If your compost is going to be in contact with the soil, put a layer of sticks or coarse material on the base.
- Gradually build up layers of wets and dries (generally more dries than wets). Dries are high carbon ingredients such as dead leaves, sawdust, shredded paper, straw, dry lawn clippings. Wets are soft materials such as vegie scraps, fresh lawn clippings and manure.
- Don’t use meat, pet manure, weeds with seeds or perennial parts (such as onion weed) or herbicide-treated grass clippings.
- As well as these ingredients, compost needs air, moisture and a reasonable temperature (not too hot, not too cold).
- Occasionally sprinkle some soil, ready-made compost, Blood & Bone or some Dynamic Lifter pellets to add extra micro-organisms (these get the breaking down process under way). Or use some Compost Maker.
- Wet the heap every so often so that it stays moist, without becoming sloppy.
- Use a garden fork or compost tool to turn the heap every week or so to aerate it. (This won’t be necessary if you’re using a tumbler or a self-aerating bin).
- A couple of handfuls of Yates Garden Lime will sweeten the composting process.
When your compost is ready to use, it can be mixed into the soil, added to mulch or incorporated into potting mix. Compost is considered to be one of the best natural sources of nutrients and soil improvement.
If your composting is unsuccessful, consult the checklist in the Yates Garden Guide.
