Whatever your soil, it will probably benefit from the addition of compost and it is really easy to make it at home, recycling your old plant material along with kitchen vegetable waste, cardboard and animal bedding.
Autumn Leaves
Leaves are decomposed by fungi rather than being rotted by bacteria as other compost is. This process is slow and involves no heat so it is better to stack leaves in a separate wire enclosure or large bag where they will break down to make light crumbly leafmould compost: perfect for seed sowing.
The Compost Heap
Ideally a compost heap should be 1 to 1.5m3 in volume. There are some very good slatted wooden heaps on the market, or you can make your own from pallets. The heap should be situated in a lightly shaded position where there is sufficient space for easy access with a wheelbarrow. Situating 3 heaps side by side will enable you to have 1 filling, 1 rotting and 1 spare.
There are 2 methods of composting:
The Hot Method
This involves filling the whole heap at once. You may need a store of suitable material (see table 1)
First put in a layer of ‘browns’ around 20 cm deep.
Next a layer of ‘greens’ of the same depth.
Then sprinkle a compost activator such as chicken manure or a proprietary starter across the surface.
Now another layer of browns, and so on until the heap is completely full.
Do not squash the heap down as air is needed for composting.
If the material is dry, water it well then cover it with bags, old carpet or landscape fabric.
After a few weeks, the heap should heat up. Once it has cooled again, turn it all into an empty heap, cover and leave again.
The compost should be ready to use in a few months.
The Cold Method
The principle is the same as the hot method, but the material is gradually added to it as it becomes available. There will be less heat produced, and the process will be slower.
In the autumn and winter you will find that you have an excess of ‘browns’ which will not break down well, but in the summer, and excess of lawn clippings will make wet slimy compost. To avoid this, save some of the autumn browns, and add them during the summer alongside the lawn clippings.
Greens (nitrogen-rich) | Browns (carbon-rich) | Activators (nitrogen-rich) | Do NOT use |
Lawn mowings | Shredded prunings | Animal manure | Meat or dairy |
Weeds (no seeds or invasive roots) | Torn up cardboard and egg boxes | Proprietary compost starter | Cooked kitchen scraps |
Uncooked kitchen scraps | Old plant stems | Seaweed | Dog or cat faeces |
| Animal bedding & straw |
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| Old cotton & wool clothing |
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Table 1: The constituents of a good compost heap
Cover the heap with a sheet or piece of old carpet to keep in the heat and moisture and stop weed seeds from landing on it.
'Greens' such as lawn mowings and weeds, but no seedheads or invasive roots in a layer about 20cm deep.
'Browns' such as shredded prunings, torn up cardboard and animal bedding in a layer about 20cm deep.
Compost activator sprinkled over the surface after every 2 layers.
Residents
Your compost heap will make a cosy home for lots of wildlife much of which will benefit the garden. Look out for grass snakes, a non-venemous British snake which often nests in the warmth of a compost heap or you may find slow worms: lizards which eat slugs and snails.
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