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Make your own compost in 8 easy steps

01 June 2021

Want to take your gardening to the next level? Try making your own compost at home! Small twigs, withered flowers, and leaves - here is your complete guide on how to create your homemade compost!

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What you need to know before starting your own compost 

Making your own compost requires patience as it is a rather long process. You need to allow at least one and a half years before you can use and enjoy your compost in your garden. But if you cultivate often and much, it is definitely worth the while! 

Making your own compost requires a bit of space. Firstly, you need someplace to store or contain your compost. Compost containers can be bought in most gardening stores. You can also make your own container with some wooden planks, like in the picture above. A bigger box or tray of some sort should also work! 

It is best to start making your own compost during summer. Once fall arrives, the second stage of your compost creation starts. In order for microorganisms to thrive in your compost and make it nutritious enough to nourish your plants; the compost needs a lot of oxygen. Therefore, you need to spread out your compost on the ground and then add two more layers of garden waste and soil. These are both important ingredients to start the decomposing process. The width of your compost should be larger than the height of it, in order to provide it with enough oxygen. This is why it requires some space. Although, if you have limited space - make a smaller batch of compost!

As mentioned, soil is an important ingredient in homemade composts. This soil should be nutritious and benefit the micro-life in the compost. You can make your own micro-beneficial soil by adding food waste to the soil, which is a different type of compost. Otherwise, you can buy nutritious soil in gardening shops. 

How to make your own compost in 8 steps

  1. Start by finding or creating a spot in your garden to use as a container for your compost. Use the compost to throw away twigs, leaves, grass clippings and other organic material, this is later referred to as brown material.

  2. Choose a shady spot for your compost, preferably somewhere without direct sunlight.

  3. Once fall arrives, spread out your brown compost material in a wide range or line on the ground. Top this brown material with an equally thick layer of green material, like withered flowers and green plant parts. Finish up by adding soil of some sort that will benefit the micro-life.

  4. Combine the three layers by stepping, walking, and jumping on top of them. By doing this, you mix the layers up, and you create just enough oxygen in the compost. Oxygen is very important for the micro-life in the compost, but too much oxygen might harm the bacterias on the other hand. So be cautious in your compost dance.

  5. Depending on the amount of compost you wish for; repeat the procedure of layering until you are satisfied with the amount of it. The width of the compost should be twice as large as the height of it.

  6. Cover the compost with straw to protect it against the winter cold. This way, the decomposition process will start faster.

  7. When spring arrives, mix the compost up by, for example, stepping on it. This is necessary to provide it with oxygen after the cold winter month. After this, leave the compost untouched for a year. Although, check up on it regularly, and water if it gets too dry.

  8. Grab your shovel and enjoy your homemade compost soil, full of microorganisms! Use it to fill your garden land, flower beds, and pallet collars.

Good luck with your composting!

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