How to get started.

There are various methods to home composting – you can have a compost heap at the end of your garden, you can make or buy your own compost container .The compost container protects its contents from the elements.

You can buy a compost container in most garden centres and hardware shops. Before buying a container you should take into consideration the size of your garden, and how many people in your family. A container of 250 litres would be suitable for a small to medium garden, with 4 – 5 people in the house. It is always better to have a slightly large container than one too small.

The information supplied below gives instructions for a Compost Bin, which is the simplest and least labour-intensive type of composting container. It is useful to have a small container in your kitchen to collect your organic waste, and reduce the number of trips to the bin. You will also need a garden shovel or fork for turning and removing the compost.You can add activators to your compost bin to help establish the bin, or speed up the decomposition process, but these are not necessary to compost successfully.

Manufactured activators ( accelerators ) are available in garden centres. Good natural activators include grass, nettles, pondweed or seaweed, manure from vegetarian pets ( such as hamsters ), blood and bone meal and urine.