Composters

The composting process happens in sun or shade (think of the forest floor — lots of composting happens there). Although the process occurs more quickly in a sunny spot, compost in the sun tends to dry out and may need watering. Try to avoid extremes of temperature. Ideally, the compost bins should be positioned in partial sun or full shade.

In a perfectly built-up compost bin with alternating layers of coarse and fine organic material (a layer of clippings alternating with lawn cuttings), it may take as little as four to six months for all the material to break down. From my own experience, building heaps that sometime have too much of one material followed by too much of another, it may take six to twelve months to transform all that garden debris into finished compost – that’s why we recommend the 3-bin method. A couple of scoops of chicken droppings seem to act as a ‘starter’ and speed up the process considerably.

In an ideal world, a bin which is actively hot should be turned every three to four days. However, with the three bin system we recommend, I generally mix each layer as I add it but I leave turning the whole bin until it is turned into the next bin and the mixture gets a really good stir. In this system, bin 3 has the material that is already composted and ready to spread; once emptied, the contents of bin 2 are turned into bin 3 for their final spell of composting; bin 1, which holds the most recently harvested material is then turned into bin 2 and bin 1 is empty to receive the next lot of clippings.

On the whole avoid cooked food: don’t add meat scraps, bones, grease, whole eggs, or dairy products to the compost pile because they decompose slowly, cause odours, and can attract rodents; don’t add pet faeces or spent cat litter to the compost pile; don’t add diseased plant material, weeds that have gone to seed or pernicious weeds such as ground elder which will thrive in the compost.

1. Chop larger materials as you add them; cut twigs into short lengths; do not add substantial branches
2. Mix the brown materials with the green materials; shredded newspaper in layers is an ideal material; do not add diseased plant material or perennial weeds
3. Maintain the moisture as damp as a wrung-out sponge – this means watering the compost bin during heat waves, it does wonders for the compost!