How to Make a Garden Compost : HGTV Gardens

The Complete Gardener's Guide, Sep 2011

Lightweight Plastic Bin Popular for Composting — © Dorling Kindersley Limited 2011

Materials Needed

compost bin
mix of brown and green materials
large garden fork

Step 1: Choose Compost Spot

Position Compost Bin in Garden for Easy Access — © Dorling Kindersley Limited 2011

Choose a compost bin to suit your needs, and position it in the garden where it can be easily accessed and tended.

Step 2: Collect Materials

Add Raw Kitchen Waste and Clippings to Compost — © Dorling Kindersley Limited 2011

Add uncooked kitchen waste as well as healthy plant materials and grass clippings to your heap. Do not add animal waste, meat, cooked food, diseased plants, or fresh perennial weeds. Pick out any perennial weeds or diseased plants.

Step 3: Layer Waste

Layer Green and Brown Material in Compost Heap — © Dorling Kindersley Limited 2011

Build up your heap in layers of green and brown material to blend the materials and give the finished compost a good structure and texture. Green waste includes lawn clippings, annual weeds, plant trimmings, and other soft material that rots down quickly, bringing nitrogen and moisture to the mix. Shredded cardboard and dead leaves are good brown-waste materials—they are dry, rich in carbon, and give compost structure. Green materials rot to a smelly sludge, but brown materials balance out the compost to produce a rich, crumbly texture.

Step 4: Turn Heap

Turn Compost Periodically for Faster Results — © Dorling Kindersley Limited 2011

Turn the heap periodically with a garden fork to mix up all the rotting materials and aerate the heap; this also helps the mixture compost more thoroughly.