Page 19 - • IFV 9 2020.indd

Gardening

How to Make your own CoMpost

BY Ann ARnoTT
IMAGe BY Ben KeRCKx FRoM PIxABAY

t’s wonderful to see that as the days As plant material dries out and becomes the first attempt, repeat the exercise.
get longer, the plants are starting to brown, the nitrogen content diminishes. 2. Do build your compost heap in layers,
Iproduce new shoots. Getting outdoors That’s one of the factors that determines starting with a layer of the shredded
into the sunlight is a blessing and many whether the ingredient is green or brown. twigs, cardboard and leaves (the
of us will be busy preparing our gardens Dead leaves, dried grass, wood products, browns) followed by a thinner layer of
during this time to be ready for summer. newspaper and straw are all classified as the vegetable/fruit mix (the greens)
However, for a lot of people affected by the browns. There is less nitrogen and a higher from your kitchen (also shredded) and
lockdown, cashflow has become a huge carbon content in browns. then a thin layer of coffee grounds and/
problem and so we can’t just rush out and There is a big debate around what the or tea leaves without the tea bags, if you
stock up on compost and fertilisers to give correct ratio of greens to browns should have saved them.
the plants the boost that they need. be but you could start by mixing a ratio of 3. Sprinkle with water after each layer
The answer to improving the soil quality, 4 parts browns: 1 part greens. If you find combo is completed – the ingredients
of course, is to maintain your own compost that your compost heap is not heating up, should be moist, but not soggy.
heap when cashflow is tight. You may ask: add more green material. If it’s starting to 4. Mix with a large fork or spade.
what’s the secret to making good compost? smell, add more browns. 5. Repeat this process until the heap is
There are a number of factors that have about 1m² x 1m high.
to be considered when embarking on this SOME DON’TS 6. Cover the heap with a suitable covering
exercise. To make sure your compost is appropriate that surrounds the sides and the top of
1. Firstly, in your kitchen, you need a special for use in your garden, these are some of the heap.
bin, bucket or large bowl that can be the things you should avoid: The compost heap should start to heat
closed with a lid, where you can throw 1. Don’t add your doggie’s poop or your up of its own accord after a few days. This
all your vegetable and fruit peels, wilted kitty’s cat litter – or the faeces from is a good time to check the progress and,
vegetables, old fruit and egg shells. If any meat eating animal. You can add using a fork, dig the contents over so that
you have coffee grounds and tea leaves, manure from herbivorous animals if you the parts on the outside of the heap are
these need to be thrown into a separate have it available, but it’s not essential. brought inwards and the inner parts are
container. 2. Don’t add whole eggs or any meat pulled outwards to the perimeter of the
2. You need either a dedicated space in the products. heap. Add more water if necessary. This is
garden or one of those fancy compost 3. Don’t allow any sweet wrappers, plastic an important step as the microorganisms
bins where the main event will take place. bags or any other plastic products, working their magic do need air in order
3. You need a mixture of ‘greens’ and coated papers, greasy take-away to survive. After about 30 days, you should
‘browns’. containers, or treated woods near your have a crumbly mixture that you can start
4. You need moisture. compost heap. adding to your garden beds, either as a
5. And you need the compost to generate 4. It’s preferable to avoid adding weeds to mulch or mixed with the soil.
heat. the heap, especially if they have already
started producing seeds. *NB: Cardboard, newspaper and
WHAT ARE ‘GREENS’ AND twigs should be first broken or torn into
‘BROWNS’? SOME DO’S relatively small pieces before shredding.
Greens are your kitchen scraps, green grass 1. Do shred everything before adding Make sure that any equipment that you
cuttings, annuals recently pulled out of it to the compost heap. Twigs, leaves, choose to use for shredding is up to
your flower beds, new cuttings off shrubs. cardboard* can all be shredded with a the task. Do not attempt to ‘shred’ thick
These have a higher content of nitrogen, shredder or a sturdy lawnmower that branches and sticks or anything that may
as does manure, which is why it’s also has a grass box attached to it. If the damage the equipment.
classified as a green. shredded pieces are still too big after

The Villager • Issue 9 2020 • 17