MAKING THE MOST OF COMPOST

Composting is good. Really good in fact; and done well, it doesn’t smell. The process of making ‘Black Gold’ usually takes 12-18 months.

The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough. RABINDRANATH TAGORE

Add equal amounts of greens (which tend to be rich in nitrogen) with browns (which tend to be rich in carbon). If you get the mix right you’ll end up with a rich dark material that smells sweet and pleasant.

Good sources of green material are vegetable peel (avoid citrus as it is too acidic), fruit scraps, grass cuttings, (not to be used if the lawn has been treated with weed killers), hedge clippings, annuals and cuttings from perennials.

Good sources of brown material are straw, wood chippings, sawdust, shredded paper (but not glossy finished magazines), cardboard and broken up egg cartons. They give the compost its fibre and allow good air circulation.

Roots of perennial weeds such as bindweed, couch grass and ground elder should be put in the Council Green Recycling Bins as the temperature reached in home composting often doesn’t reach sufficient heights to kill them.

Things not to compost, because it attracts vermin includes: dairy products, meat, fish, pet litter and disposable nappies.

There are various containers that can be used for making compost and your choice will largely be influenced by space and budget.

Cauliflower is nothing but a cabbage with a college education. MARK TWAIN

Whichever system you go for, it is the turning of the heap that speeds up the process along with a reasonable amount of heat. Composting does take some effort but your garden and your plants will be well rewarded.

For more information on composting visit www.compost.org.uk