Making Backyard Compost.

Most organic matter is suitable for the composting, from vegetable (no meats) food scraps, grass cuttings, prunings and leaf rakings, to horse or cow manures. You can even use white paper and any natural fibers such as wool and cotton.

Avoid adding bulbous weeds, like nut grass, onion weed, wandering Jew, etc. as these may survive the internal heat of the pile and become a nuisance in the finished compost material.

The above materials will all decompose to form a louse nutrient rich compost, that is ideal for use as garden soil enrichment, plant food, mulch and a top dressing for lawns.

Keeping your compost pile moist (like a rung out sponge) but not drenched, this will reduce the composting time.

As the decomposition gets underway, heat is generated which helps the material to break down.

This heat serves to kill weed seeds, virus, diseases and fungus that may be present.

If you need a constant supply then have at least two heaps, in use at once so that a cycle can be established.

One heap is used for new material while the other is maturing.

About three weeks after starting a new heap fork the contents from the top and sides of the mature pile onto the new one and cover with a layer of soil. This will help to supply air to the microbes and reduce orders. The addition of lime increases the calcium content of the compost and reduces its acidity and orders.)

Alternatively the top and side layers can be used to start a new heap, when this top layer becomes the bottom layer of the new heap.

An eight to fourteen week cycle is normally required in good weather to fully decompose the contents of a new heap.

If odor becomes a problem, sprinkle a thin dusting of agricultural lime on the heap and mix the pile.

Add a little slow release fertilizer to the heap to add nutrients to the mixture as it percolates down through the material.