Making compost and waiting for it to be ready can take time. Here is a way to make great compost faster.
Most gardeners get frustrated by how long it seems to take to make finished compost. The bin that they use just never seems to fill up. And when they do empty it, the contents stink and the stench hangs around for a long time! The secret to making compost quickly is to generate heat within your composting system by adding enough matter to fill the bin all at once.
MATERIALS
- Carbon: high carbon materials include newspaper, cardboard, egg cartons, toilet rolls, unwaxed pizza cartons, straw, animal bedding, untreated wood shavings, bark chips, old mulch, old potting mix, small twigs, dried autumn leaves
- Nitrogen: high nitrogen materials include green garden leaves, coffee grounds, teabags, kitchen peelings, lawn clippings, blood and bone, chicken or other bird manures, rabbit or guinea pig manure, other organic fertilisers
- Compost Activators: comfrey, borage, yarrow, nettles etc – these aren’t necessary but you may have some excess in the garden
- Water
SETTING UP
- At the base, layer some woody twigs or dried stems of plants for drainage.
- Next, add a layer of the high carbon materials, about 20-30cm deep.
- In a thinner layer, start adding kitchen peelings, scraps and other high nitrogen compounds.
- Water it all down well. If you have any seaweed extract or other liquid fertiliser, add this to the water for a faster result.
- Repeat steps 2 to 4 until the bin is full, alternating the layers to make sure the contents are moist.
EVERY WEEK
Turn over the contents as much as you can, using an aerator or a garden fork. You should see steam rising from the contents as you mix them up and you will notice a distinct slump in the volume of the contents. Repeat this at least weekly until the contents no longer resemble what they originally were. Resist the temptation to keep filling the bin – you will need another one at this point.
IN 6-8 WEEKS
Your compost should be ready. It should be moist without being wet and sweet-smelling, or at least have no distinctly off-putting odour. You may see worms coming in to help with the final decomposition process.
You can leave this for several months still to finally finish maturing; or, if you choose to use it at this stage where it may not be completely mature, use it in your soil but don’t plant into it straight away as the final decomposition will rob nitrogen away from the soil and you don’t want your plants to go hungry. Otherwise, just spread it over the soil and cover it with mulch. The worms will drag it through the soil for you as they munch their way through it – and your garden will love you!