How to make your own compost at home

Want to make your own compost but don’t know where to start? It’s really easy and it is a great way of using some of your food and garden waste as well as paper and card to make compost in your very garden. It’s also great for making your garden more wildlife friendly!

You don’t need to buy a special compost bin, you can make your own composter using materials from your shed or garage such as a circle of chicken wire or even leftover wood scrap and pallets.

Watch the video from BBC Spring Watch on how to make a simple compost heap!

Visit Let’s compost now for handy tips and tricks for composting at home.

There are also some great tips on the Eden project website!

Getting the mix right

The trick for the perfect compost is to make a 50/50 mix of two types of materials: Green and brown.

Green items include:

coffee grounds and filter paper
grass cuttings
hay from pets
Hedge clippings
old flowers and dead plants
tea leaves and teabags
Vegetable and fruit peelings
withered flowers and dead plants

Brown items include:

cotton wool
eggshells and cardboard egg boxes
leaves and twigs
paper bags
shredded paper and small pieces of cardboard
straw
wood ash
wood chippings

Don’t put these item in your home compost bin:

bread
cigarette ends
coal ash
cooked food
dairy products
meat and fish scraps (including bones)
nappies
oil
pet waste

As the heap builds up, turn it over regularly (at least once a month) to add air. It may take between 6 and 12 months until the heap resembles compost – so be patient!