THE ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS GUIDE TO COMPOSTING

Composting...
Who ever thought aged 18 that they would find themselves (excitedly..?) reading a blog post on composting hey? Yet here we are - oh how are lives change...!

That's not to say that composting isn't exciting. As I'm discovering, it very much is. But I thought for a long time that it was a pretty niche interest, something that only full on gardening geeks could or would get excited about. But I have been proved wrong, and it appears that the thirst for composting knowledge is strong.

This is written by a beginner, for a beginner. 
I wanted to put together something that a complete newbie could come along to and hopefully find the answers they need, in a jargon free and easy to access way. Composting can feel like a bit of a dark art, and really complicated. But as you'll hopefully discover, it's really pretty simple, and as with most things, we just need to let nature work her magic.

As I'm very much a crap gardener and a very novice composter, this post is essentially a written down/bullet pointed version of Episode 99 of the podcast with the very brilliant Catherine Howell from Barefoot Kitchen - she's the composting Queen!

Why should I compost?

How does it work?

I've heard people talk about hot composting and cold composting - what's the difference? And what about bokashi? And wormeries?

Cold composting
Is basically your regular compost heap - it can literally be a pile in the garden, or a plastic 'dalek' type bin, or made from pallets, or anything in between.
It's mostly used for garden waste, and you can also put things like veg peelings and teabags etc in there.

Hot composting
Is a specially insulated compost bin that heats the compost to a huger temperature, meaning that you can put cooked food waste and meat etc in there as well as garden waste.

Bokashi bins
Are a different kind of magic - they kind of pickle the food waste meaning that you can then put kitchen waste in a regular compost bin.

Wormeries
Are special bins or containers with worms in! They tend to be used more for food waste, rather than garden waste. 

Cold composters

These are your regular bog standard compost bins.

• What do I need?
  The simplest version can just be a heap (a literal heap) of garden waste in your garden - ideally about a metre cubed in size.
  If you fancy a more contained version, then there are about a gazillion different types and designs out there - from the bog standard black plastic 'dalek' bins that many councils give out, to fancy pants wooden ones in the shape of beehives, to ones on legs that you can roll like a massive compost tombola - take your pick and pay your price!
  The idea size is about a metre cubed, and ideally a lid is a great addition.
• Where do I put it?
  The ideal place in a sheltered yet warm spot, on well draining ground.
  However, as Catherine points out in the podcast - the best place is actually the place that's easy to get to and where it's actually going to be used. If you've got to trek to the bottom of the garden every time the food waste caddy is full, you're much less likely to bother.
• Can it go on concrete?
  Ideally it should be on bare ground (soil) as this helps any liquid to drain away, and bugs and worms to get in and work their magic.
  Having said that, Catherine says that one of the best compost bins she's ever seen was on the balcony of a first floor flat. And it still had worms in it (go figure?!)
• What can I put in it?
  Garden waste
  Uncooked food waste (vegetable and fruit peelings
  Tea bags (ideally plastic-free) and coffee grounds
  Shredded paper and cardboard
  Bamboo toothbrushes (minus the bristles), cotton buds with paper/wood stems etc etc.
  Straw and poo from herbivore pets eg rabbits, chickens etc.
• What can't I put in it?
  Avoid cooked food and meat or fish.
  Poo from carnivores (cats and dogs).
  The temperatures in a regular compost heap don't get hot enough to kill any pathogens, and you could also get a problem with rats.
• Can I put compostable packaging and bags in there?
  Great question and it's a really murky/tricky one to answer.
  'Compostable' and 'biodegradable' aren't legal terms, and often don't mean what we might they do. Biodegradable just means it will break up into smaller pieces - so potentially  just seeding your compost with microplastics. 'Compostable' usually refers to industrial composting conditions which are carefully managed to provide the correct heat and conditions for the 'thing' (bag/packaging/cup etc) to break down. It's important to look for things labelled 'home compostable' to be really sure - and then it will still break down better if you chop it up into smaller bits.
• What's all this about ratios and brown and green waste?
  This is where it starts to feel a bit complicated and thankfully Catherine does a brilliant job of de-complicating it in the podcast. 
  Brown waste is the dry stuff - so dry leaves, twigs, small sticks, straw, shredded paper, cardboard etc.
  Green waste is the wet stuff - so fruit and veg peelings, soggy leaves etc, grass clippings etc.
  Ideally we're aiming for a 50:50 mix of brown(dry) to green(wet) to give our compost the best chance of doing it's thing.
• Is there any maintenance?
  Giving it a regular 'turn' will help to keep the conditions aerobic (ie with oxygen). 
  Without enough oxygen, the conditions in your compost could end up being anaerobic (without oxygen) meaning your compost will ferment, and essentially becomes a little mini landfill site in your garden, emitting methane and other greenhouse gases - not really what we want. 
  Getting in there with a garden fork to turn it around and create some air spaces is the easiest way. Although when I say easy, it still sounds like a bit of a pain in the butt to do. Catherine advocates taking the outside off, moving it along a metre and then shovelling it all back in again once a year. Again, sounds like a massive pain to do, but at least it's only once a year!
  You can get 'tombola' style containers that you can rotate and roll, which sound great from an aeration perspective. However I'm not sure how the bugs and worms get inside?
• What's all this about weeing on your compost heap? Is someone winding me up?
  No apparently not! It's a thing. Sometimes when compost heaps slow down or stop working, they need a nitrogen boost. And the most convenient, cheapest and eco-friendly source of that is, you guessed it, pee! 
• What comes out the bottom?
  Compost! It should be dry and not smelly if you've got the mix right and kept it well aerated.

•  What can I do with the compost?
  I naively thought that if I could make enough, then I would be able to use my homemade compost in pots and for growing veggies etc in the place of shop bought compost. Sadly this isn't the case. Apparently our homemade compost will be too strong for seedlings.
  There are two main options:
  - Spread a thin layer on top of your flower and veg beds to provide a lovely nutritious boost.
  - Look online for a compost recipe that tells you what else you need to add to your homegrown compost to create potting compost.
• My compost is smelly and slimy
  It's probably got a bit anaerobic and a bit wet -  give it a good fork around and add some dry/brown material like shredded paper or dry leaves or cardboard
• My compost is really dry
  Add some wet/green material, or even a bucket of water. Or wee on it.
• What about flies?
  Flies are kind of a given around compost heaps in the summer. One thing you can try is having a bit of cardboard that you place back on top after adding new material.
• What about rats?
  I think this is something everyone worries about. According to Catherine, rats don't like noise or movement, so she gets her kids to regularly hit her compost bins as they're going past! 

Phew! What a beast of a post!
I hope it's helpful - do you feel more able to make a start composting now?
What have I missed out?
What questions have you still got?