Making compost will benefit all plants. By adding  organic compost regularly to the soil your plants will bloom. With very little effort you can utilise your kitchen and garden waste to not only save you money, but to also produce an excellent compost heap.

Recipe For A Compost Heap

All waste material from spent crops, kitchen vegetable waste, egg shells, leaves, weeds etc. can be used to make a compost heap.

It is possible to purchase a compost bin

however using some old planks of wood nailed together to form a secure square enclosure. Size will really be dependant on the amount of waste your household produces , a guide would be 3’ x 3’ x 4’ high. Avoid using diseased plants, weeds that carry seed pods, large prunings such as roses and woody stalks. To begin lay down a layer of waste material about 6 inches deep.Fork in a sprinkling of lime.Add a couple of handfuls of complete fertiliser.Cover with 2 - 3 inches of garden soil.On top place some animal manure, if available.

Daily kitchen waste

can be added then once a week cover again with a little garden soil.Add monthly another small sprinkling of lime and if required a little complete fertiliser.Continue until the heap is approx 4 foot high

A good idea is to occasionally aerate the heap, by using a garden fork or stake and gently tease the compost apart. It’s important the heap remains damp at all times, therefore a shady corner of the garden would be an ideal location.

Once your compost heap container is full, then start a fresh heap, this will insure a constant supply of fresh organic compost. Decomposition will take approx 9 - 12 months.

---