Steps to making your own compost, and why you should!
If you are thinking of starting to make your own compost bin, it can be quite overwhelming but it really doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s as complicated as you make it and no need to buy expensive compost bins either.
I love pallets, if there is away to build anything with pallets, I will. Making a compost bin using pallets (just make sure they are not chemically treated) is simple, efficient and cheap. You can start with just one, but if you have extra pallets is best to make three next to each other so you can move the compost along to the next bin as it decomposes. The best size is one cubic meter and no bigger than 1.5 cubic meters to ensure it heats up enough to decompose. You can also throw a tarp over it to keep the heat in, and to keep it dry if exposed. It is important that you chose the correct location where it’s not going to be built on a waterlogged area. It needs to be in a sunny spot and covered from the rain. It should be damp but not dripping. Place three pallets in a ‘U’ shape, and line them with a fine chicken wire.
What to add to your compost pile:
Start with a layer of small twigs and branches, break them up for faster decomposition. If you have a shedder even better. Aim for a ratio of two parts brown (carbon) such as dry leaves, one part green like grass (nitrogen) clippings in layers like a lasagne. Add a spade full of compost or soil to the mixture as well as kitchen scraps and remember to keep it damp.
You can add:
Greens (nitrogen)
Vegetable scraps
Grass clippings
Eggshells
Animal manure from herbivores
hair
Brown (carbon)
Leaves
Straw
wood chips
ground coffee
DO NOT add the following items:
Meat
Dairy
Dog and cat poo
Onions
Citrus peals
Onions
Fatty food waste
Treated wood
Bread
Weeds that have gone to seed
Diseased plants
Cooked leftovers
If you are able to, please invest in a compost thermometer and keep it at between 54 – 77 degrees celsius. The moisture and size of organic matter will determine the temperature. Record the temperature of your compost pile regularly (daily is best).
Once a week turn your compost by taking the exterior layers to the interior. If you added weed that have gone to seed you will need at temperature of 54 to 60 degrees Celsius for a duration of 72 hours to kill the seeds. If your temperate drops, it could be that your food and water supply are exhausted. Turning the pile and adding fresh material to decompose will encourage temperatures to rise again but don’t allow it to overheat as this will kill beneficial microbial activity and shut down your decomposing process.
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