When it comes to giving your garden the superfood it needs to produce fantastic yields, we cannot overestimate the power of the compost heap. And the best part? You can create this free, nutrition-rich garden essential yourself! Our simple, no-fuss guide covers how to create a compost heap, what to add to it, and how to maintain it.
Why Every Gardener Needs Compost
Before covering how to create a compost heap, let’s first touch on the key reasons why every gardener needs one. First things first, compost improves the health of garden soil, slowly releasing key nutrients that boost the health of growing fruit and vegetables. Compost also improves the drainage and water retention of soil, which helps maintain healthy roots and reduces the need for watering.
Gardeners may also appreciate the environmental benefits of compost. Composting prevents organic matter from going to waste in a landfill, eliminating the emissions that would result. Additionally, composting is free, meaning you can boost your garden without breaking the bank.
How to Create a Compost Heap: The 3-Step Setup
Starting a compost heap has a lot of upside, but how do you get started? Here’s our easy 3-step guide for how to create a compost heap.
Step 1: Prepare Your Compost Materials
Begin by preparing your compost materials by chopping them into manageable pieces. The smaller your materials, the quicker they’ll compost. Most fruit and vegetable scraps are perfect, as are lawn clippings that are already mulched into a fine material. Pruners and shears from our Darlac tools range are ideal for chopping branches and leaves into smaller pieces.
A successful compost heap also requires water and air. The latter is essential to the composting process, as turning your compost regularly incorporates air into the mix and speeds up decomposition. Water is required in large quantities of brown materials; you can use a watering can to sprinkle water onto your heap. Remember, your pile should be moist but not soggy. If your pile gets too wet, add more dry brown matter and turn the pile to incorporate the freshly added material.
Step 2: Choose your Spot
Once you have prepared your compost materials, the next step is to select the ideal location in your garden. Your heap can be started on any area of ground, but we recommend finding a spot that’s level, well-drained, and shaded (this helps retain moisture).
At this stage, you must decide between having an open heap or a compost bin. While the closed system of a compost bin is easier to manage in terms of pest control and moisture levels, open heaps can hold significantly more organic waste. Those who care about how their garden looks may prefer the tidiness of a compost bin, but open heaps come with no set-up cost. Deciding between these options depends on the priorities of each gardener.
Step 3: Start Layering
Finally, start layering up your pile. To do this, we recommend the lasagne method: layering alternating green and brown materials until you have exhausted the material or reached your desired height. This method enriches your soil with essential nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, while also improving water retention. The lasagne method also means you have to turn your compost heap less often.
We recommend making your compost heap one cubic metre big. This size, we’ve found, avoids the drawbacks of small heaps that struggle to maintain their heat and large piles that often prove hard to turn by hand.
The Perfect Recipe: What to Put in a Compost Heap
When it comes to what to put in a compost heap, we suggest sticking to a recipe of key ingredients we have found to be effective for supporting your garden:
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“Green” Nitrogen-Rich Ingredients: kitchen scraps, vegetable peelings, fruit waste, coffee grounds, fresh grass clippings, and manure.
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“Brown” Carbon-Rich Ingredients: dry leaves, cardboard, paper, eggshells, twigs, straw, and sawdust.
As well as knowing what to put in a compost heap, it’s equally important to know what not to include! We strongly discourage the inclusion of meat, dairy products, oils, and diseased plants in your compost heap.
Should I Cover My Compost Heap?
Once you have successfully created your compost heap, we recommend covering it. Due to the hot climate and heavy downpours that climates across Australia can experience, it’s important to protect your compost heap from becoming waterlogged or drying out. Covering your heap also prevents the loss of essential nutrients, such as potassium.
We suggest covering your compost heap with a material that facilitates airflow (in dry regions), such as shade cloth or cardboard, or prevents water from entering (in wet regions), such as a tarp or plastic.
How To Care for Your Compost
Over the first few weeks, your compost heap will start to reduce in size due to decomposition. It’s also common to see steam rising off your pile in the morning. We recommend turning or aerating your pile every week to help it mature faster. This process can also help the entire heap heat up and decompose more effectively by bringing materials from the outside to the inside.
Your compost heap is ready once you can no longer distinguish individual materials, and it has an earthy smell. This process can take several months, so patience is essential. You can add your new compost on top of existing plantings in a fine layer or mix it into your empty garden beds for the new season.
Start Your Compost Heap Today With Mr Fothergill’s
Starting a compost heap is one of the easiest and most rewarding ways to help both your garden and the planet. It’s truly amazing to see what a simple recipe of organic waste, air, and water can do!
Think a compost heap could work wonders in your garden? Explore our incredible range of gardening tools to help layer your compost heap, or browse our vegetable seeds to start reaping the rewards. If you have any questions about our products, feel free to contact us.
