A No-Nonsense Guide to Composting at Home
Composting has a reputation for being fiddly. People worry about ratios, temperatures, turning schedules, and whether they’re doing it right. Here’s the truth: if you pile organic material together and wait, it becomes compost. You can make it faster and better with a bit of knowledge, but even a neglected pile eventually breaks down.
The Simple Version
Find a shady corner. Get a basic compost bin (council subsidised ones are fine) or make a simple bay from pallets. Throw in kitchen scraps and garden waste. Keep it roughly moist. Come back in a few months. That’s it.
Making It Work Better
If you want compost faster and without the smell, there are a few principles worth following.
Mix greens and browns. Green materials are nitrogen-rich: kitchen scraps, fresh grass clippings, green garden prunings. Brown materials are carbon-rich: dry leaves, straw, shredded newspaper, cardboard, small twigs. You want roughly three parts brown to one part green. This ratio keeps things aerobic (with oxygen) rather than anaerobic (without oxygen, which is what causes bad smells).
Chop things smaller. The smaller the pieces, the faster they break down. You don’t need to go overboard — just chop large stalks and break up big clumps.
Keep it moist, not wet. Your compost should feel like a wrung-out sponge. Too dry and nothing happens. Too wet and it goes anaerobic and slimy. In summer, you might need to water it occasionally. In winter, cover it if it’s getting waterlogged by rain.
Turn it occasionally. Forking the pile over every few weeks adds oxygen and speeds decomposition. But if you can’t be bothered, it’ll still break down — just slower.
What Goes In
Yes:
- Fruit and vegetable scraps
- Eggshells (crushed)
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Garden prunings (chopped)
- Fallen leaves
- Shredded newspaper and cardboard
- Straw and hay
- Vacuum cleaner dust
No:
- Meat, fish, or dairy (attracts rats)
- Cooked food (same reason)
- Dog or cat waste (pathogens)
- Diseased plant material (spreads disease)
- Weeds that have gone to seed (unless your pile gets hot enough to kill seeds)
- Treated timber or glossy paper
How Long Does It Take?
A well-managed pile in warm weather can produce usable compost in 8 to 12 weeks. A neglected pile might take 6 to 12 months. Either way, you end up with the same result — dark, crumbly material that smells like forest floor.
Using Your Compost
Spread finished compost over garden beds at any time of year, but autumn is ideal on the Peninsula. A 5-centimetre layer spread over beds and covered with mulch does wonders for sandy soil. You can also mix compost into potting mix for containers, use it when planting new plants, or brew it into a liquid tea for a quick soil drench.
Small Space Options
No room for a compost bin? A worm farm takes up about the same space as a recycling bin and produces concentrated castings and liquid fertiliser. Bokashi bins ferment kitchen waste (including meat and dairy) in a sealed bucket under the sink, then you bury the fermented material in the garden.
The best composting system is the one you’ll actually use. Keep it simple and you’ll stick with it.