04-07-2009, 06:19 PM
My compost bins were made from some posts I had left over and old floorboards. Almost everything from the garden goes in it, grass clippings, weeds, trimmings and also kitchen waste like vegetable peelings. The secret is to have a heap that is big enough to really generate some heat which helps kill the nasties and partly sterilises the resulting compost. Small bins will still work but might take longer and lose too much heat so weed seeds will still germinate. Don't put too many leaves in it as they take longer to break down, best to have a separate leaf pile. Don't put too much of the same thing together, best to have several different layers. An inch or two of grass clippings, then some herbaceous prunings, then some shredded paper if you like. It will all go. Avoid very woody items but I still put soft hedge trimmings in but if they are harder I will send them through the garden shredder first. Depending on the season I get a bin load of usable compost every 4 to 6 months but it does help if the heap is turned once during that time. Either drag it all out and then stick it back in again or, what I do, move it over in to the next empty bin. This helps loosen it up letting the air circulate.
The thing about waste meat and cooked items is that they attract vermin. You can still compost those items but you should do it in a completely sealed container.
The thing about waste meat and cooked items is that they attract vermin. You can still compost those items but you should do it in a completely sealed container.