Did you know? Compost

What is compost?

Compost can be made in a number of ways, from simply piling up old plant material, to using complicated plastic bins.

Basically, plant waste + moisture + warmth + air + micro-organisms + time = compost.

Plant waste is either 'green' (leaves, flowers, weeds, grass cuttings) or 'brown' (bark, stems, roots, hedge trimmings). Aim for a mix of both. Don't forget you can use kitchen waste and small-pet litter (hamster and gerbil - not cat and dog litter!)

Micro-organisms (bacteria and fungi) either come in naturally from the soil underneath the heap or they are added in as a sprinkling of fresh soil every so often. They feed on the waste, breaking it down into hot compost.

Don't put large quantities of the same waste in the heap together, particularly grass clippings. Instead, mix a variety of other waste. Ensure you stir it up to let the air in.

Compost heaps and bins benefit from being emptied and turned from time to time, so that the bits at the edges also rot down.

Good composting ingredients

• shredded paper (not shiny magazines though!)
• cotton and wool materials
• tea bags
• old plants
• dead leaves
• tops of perennial weeds
• lawn mowings
• eggshells

Bad composting ingredients

• woody plant clippings
• synthetic fabrics
• food scraps
• meat or bones
• diseased plant material
• soil pests
• weeds with seeds on
• oil
• whole eggs
• dairy products

Interesting facts

• The best gardeners know that gardening is not the art of cultivating good plants, but of cultivating good soil.
• Worms are brilliant at making compost. Find out more from our worm article and make your own worm farm in a jar.
• Compost and soil are not dead, they are living things.
• There are more micro-organisms in a teaspoonful of soil than there are humans alive on the planet.
• Soil with not much compost or humus in it will blow away in the wind very easily. Putting compost in your soil feeds the soil and makes it strong and healthy.

Activity

Why not try the Royal Horticultural Society lunch box challenge: make a packed lunch using only natural products, so that all the waste can go in your compost bin? How much of your normal packed lunch would not be used?Text

Make your own compost with our home-grown project.