How to | Make your own Compost
Making your own compost at home is very easy and cheap. When you make compost at home you know what you are putting into your garden, which is where all the beautiful organic produce you grow comes from. I get a very satisfied feeling from knowing I have minimal waste from my kitchen, garden or household. I am able to collect any other material needed from friends and family homes or just out in the nature.
You can most definitely make a compost bin by yourself. There are many detailed videos on Youtube on how to do so. However, I took the easier route for the first time and bought a compost bin from Bunnings. It is from the brand Reln for AU$39.90. It is a 150L bottomless bin.
There are few things that you should know about composting before you start. Such as the materials you should be using and the elements needed for a compost pile to work. Below are two images I found on other websites that are very useful and illustrates the composting layers and the materials to use. I also prepared a simple diagram of the four elements needed for composting.
Elements needed for Composting
What materials should be used
How to layer the material in the compost pile/bin
The materials I used was not enough to fill up the whole bin. However, I have plans to continue filling it up gradually. Compost pile should be turned every so often to encourage air into it. It should also be moistened if it seems to be dry. You can use a garden pitch fork to turn the compost pile. Below are some images of the materials I used to start my compost bin.
I used Cardboard, Chicken Manure, Food scraps, Pruned Tree Branches and Organic Compost by Richgro that I always use.
I then went ahead an layered each material and made sure to wet down with water from the hose. You want the moisture to be about a wrung out sponge. Once everything is layered all you have to do is close the lid and let it decompose. After couple of days you can turn it. However, I left mine for about a week before turning. The more often you turn the quicker the materials will decompose.
Watch the video below to see how I completed the project.