Creating a compost heap and how to compost

The best compost heaps the GardenAdvice Team have found over the years has been home made ones created with old builder pallets. One as the base and three secured around the edges using tree stakes to secure them. As material is added you can nail strips of wood on the front to maintain the compost.

Notes on composting from the GardenAdvice Team  The GardenAdvice experts teach people about composting on our gardening courses by explaining the keys to composting which is to look after the bacteria, fungi and worms in the compost heap so they break down the material into compost as quickly as possible here are the GardenAdvice  key composting points

• Make sure in the summer the compost heap is watered so when you pick up a handful and squeeze it a few drops of water drip from it
• As you add compost to the compost heap add some fertiliser such as Growmore fertiliser or a compost activator to help feed the bacteria and fungi to help break down the composted materials
• The compost needs to be kept warm in the winter so cover the compost heap with some old carpet or similar in the winter to keep the heat in
• If you compost heap has lots of grass clippings add a layer of straw or similar every so often to help keep the air moving within the compost heap
• If you compost a lot of beech or oak leaves as you add these add some garden lime to raise the pH which will help the bacteria and fungi break down this material
• You will often read about turning the compost heap with a fork etc to produce the best compost but if you follow the advice about you will not need to do this unless you wish to spend less time down at your local pub !!

With composting rather than buy a compost bin  we tend to recommend using 4 old builders pallets three for the sides, one for the base using tree stakes to hold the sides up
For other articles on composting on the GardenAdvice website click here