How to make your own compost

How to make your own compost

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How to make your own compost

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Project Overview

Making your own compost is a natural way to fertilise your garden, save money and do your bit for the environment. You won’t have to buy fertiliser and you can recycle kitchen scraps, garden waste and any leftover cardboard. We’ll show you how to set up a compost bin, the best place to keep it, and how to make organic compost.
Continue to step-by-step instructions

Step by Step Instructions

1 Find the right position for your compost bin
2 Start mixing your materials together
3 Turn the tumbler weekly

  • Step 1. Find the right position for your compost bin

    Decide where to put the compost bin. Make sure it’s in a nice shaded area and well drained. Too much sun will dry it out. We are using a tumbling bin, which produces compost faster due to aeration, keeps out rats, and looks neater.

    Previous Step Next Step
    Compost bin

  • Step 2. Start mixing your materials together

    Add organic compost and straw to the bin to get started. Make sure you have an even ratio of brown to green waste. Brown waste is high carbon material such as paper, cardboard and straw.  Green waste is high in nitrogen, such as coffee grounds, manure and kitchen waste. Normally you would need to layer the different waste types, but in a tumbler bin you can just throw it all in and mix together.

    Previous Step Next Step
    Person mixing brown and green waste

  • Step 3. Turn the tumbler weekly

    Turn the tumbler bin at least once a week. Make sure you don’t put any meat products, dog or cat faeces, or diseased plant material in with the compost. Once it looks like soil and smells earthy, the compost is ready to use on your garden.
    Previous Step Next Step
    Man turning tumbler

Tools and Materials

Tools

  • Safety gear

Materials

  • Garden waste
  • Kitchen scraps
  • Organic compost
  • Pea straw
  • Tumbling bin
  • 2

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