I want you to enjoy making compost! And it does not need to look perfect – you can do this!
To make great compost is as much of an art and skill as gardening and growing. The methods I show here are easily achievable, but every situation is different, so I explain the variations as well.
There are no firm rules about when compost is ready to use. With no dig gardening the decision is easier, because it’s fine to have some woody materials on the surface of beds. If you chose to dig them in, this can cause nitrogen depletion. But that does not happen with surface mulching of undisturbed soil.
00:00 Introduction
00:57 A brief explanation of my 3-bay system, and how easy it is to construct
02:11 Timings of these compost heaps
02:58 Turning a heap
03:50 Wood in heaps, and more on timings
05:29 Reasons for putting cardboard around the inside edges
06:06 Adding a long object to the centre of the heap (eg tube, fence post) to create an air hole
06:49 Guidelines for layering a heap with different materials/ingredients – green and brown
09:06 Adding bindweed to heaps
09:28 Adding seeds including weed seeds
09:59 Temperature (heat) of heaps
10:43 Adding deadheads of flowers
11:04 Adding coffee grounds
11:19 Adding fresh manure
11:28 Trimming larger plants before adding to heaps, and using a shredder
12:59 Adding material to the sides of the heaps, rather than the centre, to keep it level
13:15 Watering heaps
14:05 A brief summary, including how to know when is a heap is full, and then ready to use.
See this page on my website for more on making and using compost:
https://charlesdowding.co.uk/compost-using-and-making/
Lots of info on making compost in my new book, ‘No Dig’, published by DK:
https://charlesdowding.co.uk/product/no-dig/
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