5 tips for making your own compost

To make the most of your compost, be sure you're adding the right things. Here are five ways to ensure you're making the best compost you can.

Turn the heap regularly, at least once a month, but more often to accelerate the process.

Don't let it get too wet or too dry – it should be about as damp as a wrung-out sponge.

Don't add too much of any one material, or decomposition will slow down or stop.

Keep a balanced mix of brown material, such as dried leaves and wood chips, and green material, such as grass clippings and food scraps.

A good-sized heap generates enough heat for decomposition to occur. However, if it is too big, you won't be able to turn it properly to aerate it. The ideal size is about one metre by one metre.

Most biodegradable materials can be put into the compost heap, but careful screening of scraps will make for better results. The greater the variety of ingredients, the better the compost. For best results, chop up coarse materials.

• Fruit and vegetable peelings and cores – great for getting compost started
• Cooked table scraps
• Coffee grounds – supply proteins and oils
• Tea-leaves and unbleached tea bags – add welcome nitrogen
• Old bread
• Eggshells
• Shredded newspaper – in small amounts
• Wood shavings, sawdust or fire ash
• Household dust and hair
• Garden waste – leaves, non-woody prunings, grass

• Fats and oils
• Meat and bones take too long to break down and can attract pests
• Citrus peel: Fine in small quantities, but contains a preservative that can inhibit decomposition
• Corn cobs take too long to decompose
• Salt
• Anything that has been treated with chemicals
• Weed seeds
• Diseased plant material
• Dog or cat faeces

A compost is a great, environmentally-friendly thing to have in your garden. Regardless of the space you have, these tips should help get you started to have a useable compost.