Composting might sound like something best left to farmers or allotment veterans, but it’s something anyone can do, and it makes a huge difference. Whether you’ve got a sprawling garden, a few pots on a patio, or even just a balcony, composting is a brilliant way to reduce waste, feed your soil, and give your plants a big green boost. Our Head Gardener Shan often admits how boring she used to think compost was, until taking a course with the incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic Eddie from Rhyzophyllia, which changed her whole perception.
Ready to turn your kitchen scraps and garden clippings into rich, crumbly, soil-boosting goodness? Let’s dig in to why and how:
Why Make Your Own Compost?
Whilst it’s not always the most glamorous part of the garden or growing space, there are so many benefits to investing just a small amount of time and effort into composting.
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It’s good for your garden: Homemade compost is full of nutrients and beneficial microbes that improve soil structure, boost plant health, and support a thriving garden ecosystem.
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It cuts down on waste: Around 30% of what we throw away is compostable. Keeping those veggie peels and grass clippings out of landfill is a definite win.
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It’s planet-friendly: Composting reduces methane emissions from landfill and helps lock carbon into the soil.
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It saves money: Why buy bags of compost when you can make your own for free?
- It's FAR better than anything you can buy in a bag, packed with living organisms that are working hard beneath the surface to create a perfect environment for your crops to grow.
Setting Up Your Compost Pile
You don’t need anything fancy to get started. Here’s what you need to know:
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Choose your spot: Somewhere with good drainage, partial shade, and easy access. Direct soil contact is ideal, but not essential.
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Build your bin: At the Gardeners Co we tend to make a round ‘bin’ using wire mesh held together with string or cable ties, but you can use a purpose-built compost bin, a homemade wooden structure, or just pile it up in a corner. The mesh method provides optimim airflow though! Size-wise, aim for around 1m³ for maximum efficiency.
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Start layering: Alternate between ‘greens’ (moist, nitrogen-rich materials) and ‘browns’ (dry, carbon-rich materials).
Examples of Greens (nitrogen): -
Vegetable peelings
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Grass clippings
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Coffee grounds and tea leaves
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Plant trimmings
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Examples of Browns (carbon):
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Dried leaves
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Shredded paper or cardboard (plain and uncoated)
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Straw or hay
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Wood chips or sawdust (in moderation)
As a guide, aim to add green to browns at a 1:2 ratio for a lovely balanced heap. When you become a compost expert, you can start amending your ratios to make specific compost piles to most benefit specfic plants, but we won't get into that today!
Different Methods of Composting
There’s more than one way to make compost. Here are a few methods you could try:
1. Classic Cold Composting
The easiest way, and perfect for beginners - just pile up your greens and browns, keep it moist, and let nature do its thing. This method is slow (6-12 months) but very low-effort.
2. Hot (Thermophilic) Composting
This method speeds things up by creating the perfect conditions for heat-loving microbes. The high temperatures speed up the breaking down of organic materials. You'll need a big enough pile, the right mix of materials, and regular turning to keep it aerated, but your efforts will be rewarded as you could have finished compost in as little as 6-8 weeks! Interested to try? Check out our Guide to Thermophilic Composting.
3. Johnson Su Method
This approach focuses on aerating the soil by incorporating a channel in the centre of the compost to allow maximum air flow, thus enhancing the breakdown of materials. We have more information on this technique in our Guide to Johnson Su Composting.
4. Vermicomposting (Worm Composting)
Using a worm bin (indoors or outdoors), this approach uses worms to munch through your kitchen scraps and produce worm castings - a super-rich compost perfect for container plants. A great option if you're short on space, it’s also fascinating to watch and very low-maintenance. Great for inspiring young gardeners! For more information, check out our Guide to Vermicomposting (Worm Composting).
How to Make Great Compost
To keep your compost healthy and happy:
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Turn it regularly: Every couple of weeks is great. It adds air and speeds up decomposition.
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Keep it moist: Like a wrung-out sponge - not too dry, not soggy. If it’s looking dry, give it a bit of a water.
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Watch your balance: Too many ‘greens’ and it might go slimy. Too many ‘browns’? It might dry out. Aim for a good mix (remember 2:1 on the brown to green ratios) and layer it like a lasagne!
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Avoid unhelpful additions: No cooked food, no oils, and definitely no plastic or pet poo. Aim for a vegan compost heap if you can.
Top Tips for Compost Success
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Chop up big bits to help them break down faster.
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Keep a small caddy in your kitchen for easy scrap collection.
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You could cover your heap with a lid to keep in warmth and moisture.
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When adding cardboard, think plain, brown and uncoated. For example, toilet roll tubes or packaging boxes. Smaller pieces will break down faster and increase air flow, so rip up bigger sheets before you pop them in.
When Is Your Compost Ready to Use?
You’ll know your compost is ready when it’s dark, crumbly, and smells earthy. If you can smell whiffs of your old veg peelings, it’s not quite there yet. Ideally, it should smell like the forest floor.
Use it to mulch beds, top-dress pots, or dig into new planting areas. Your plants will thank you.
Little Heaps, Big Impacts
Whether you go fully in and try out hot composting, invest in aerators to speed things up, or just chuck your peelings in a pile and hope for the best, composting is a powerful way to reconnect with nature’s cycles. It turns waste into wonder and helps your garden (and the planet) thrive.
So why not give it a go? Your soil’s future is looking rich and rosy!