Hot Compost. Composting is nature’s way of recycling and hot composting is a method of accelerating the process by regularly digging through, or turning, the decaying matter.

1. Step 2: Start a compost batch

   Collect any organic material laying around your garden. Dig up spoiled or dead vegetables and shake off excess soil. Pull up weeds and add to the pile. Perennial plants, like bine weed, must have their roots torn off and discarded, otherwise they will regrow in the compost.

   Break up any woody plants into pieces. The smaller the particles, the quicker the composting process.

   Add fallen leaves, grass cuttings, twigs and any other unwanted organic matter. The bigger the variety in composting ingredients, the better the quality of the final compost. Collect both ‘brown’ and ‘green’ vegetation, the brown is carbon heavy while the green is nitrogen heavy, a good compost needs a mix of both.

   WARNING
   If you have been using a fungicide or pesticide on your lawn do not add the grass cuttings to the composting pile. The treatments will cause the essential organisms which aid the decomposing process to die.

   Take your collected pile to the composting bins

2. Step 3: Layer

   Fork the material into an empty bin. If you feel the material is too dry add in a layer of grass cuttings for moisture.

   TOP TIP
   If you have a second batch of compost that has already began to decompose, add a layer to the top of your new batch. This will weigh down the fresh matter and speed up the process.

3. Step 4: Cover

   Use an old piece of carpet to cover the compost pile. Place pieces of wood or some bricks on top to weigh it down. This seals in the heat and humidity, aiding the decomposing process.

4. Step 5: Leave to decay

   Leave the compost to rot for about a month, the pile will compress and shrink as it decays.

   Check occasionally to see if it’s too wet or too dry. If it is too wet add some green vegetation, and if it is too dry add brown. The ideal consistency should feel damp but not produce water when squeezed.

5. Step 6: Turn the compost

   After a month’s time remove the covers and combine the contents of two of the bins. Pull out any branches or matter that hasn’t rotted and discard. Turning it like this allows air get into the layers, helping the microbes break down the compost – this process is called aeration. As you dig further down into the bin you will get to the better, decomposed matter. Layer this on top, it’s weight and moisture will seep down into the fresher layers and speed up decaying process.

   Cover as beforehand leave to decay. Turn once every month

6. Step 7: Finished compost

   In 3 or 4 months time the compost with have become a dark brown, crumbly rich fertiliser.

What is composting? Put simply it is decomposed organic material. This material can range from banana peels, food, manure, lawn clippings, and the like.

You can create your own compost mound or purchase kits that they sell at various hardware, home improvement, and garden stores.

Composting does take time to occur, so it’s recommended that you select a site that is not too close to your living environment, but not too far away from where you plan to use it. Anything organic can be placed into your compost pile. the result of the compost is a rich, healthy soil, that will will make anything growing in your garden look and grow stronger, faster, giving you great results.

If you decide to compost yourself, you’ll be happy to know that it is much better for the environment than those fertilizers you’ve been buying in stores. Composting is natural and you are simply replicating what happens in nature for your own advantage.

What is Compost?

Compost is organic material that can be used as a soil amendment or as a medium to grow plants. It has a content called humus that is dark brown or black and has a soil-like, earthy smell. It is created by combining organic wastes (e.g., yard trimmings, food wastes, manures) in proper ratios into piles, rows, or vessels; adding bulking agents (e.g., wood chips) as necessary to accelerate the breakdown of organic materials; and allowing the finished material to fully stabilize and mature through a curing process. Natural composting, or biological decomposition, began with the first plants on earth and has been going on ever since. As vegetation falls to the ground, it slowly decays, providing minerals and nutrients needed for plants, animals, and microorganisms.

Why Compost?

1. Compost improves soil structure. Because of its loose, fluffy, cake-flourlike texture, compost improves the structure of garden soils, both increasing the drainage of clay soils and binding together sandy soils, enhancing their moisture retention.
2. Compost stimulates beneficial organisms. Not only does compost contain all of the major plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium), it also contains a wealth of minor and trace elements as well as billions of bacteria, yeast, fungi, and other soil creatures that will continue to break down organic and inorganic matter in the compost and in your soil, providing a long-term, steady feeding of nutrients to plants. The microorganisms in the compost will also help your plants absorb nutrients from fertilizers more efficiently.
3. Compost provides a balanced source of plant nutrients. No commercial fertilizer, even one that is totally organic, provides the full spectrum of nutrients that you get with compost. Even if you are lucky enough to have great soil, you can’t expect that soil to remain rich and productive without replenishing the nutrients that are consumed each growing season.
4. Compost stimulates beneficial organisms. Compost is teeming with all kinds of microorganisms and soil fauna that help convert soil nutrients into a form that can be readily absorbed by your plants. The microorganisms, enzymes, vitamins and natural antibiotics that are present in compost actually help prevent many soil pathogens from harming your plants. Earthworms, millipedes, and other macro-organisms tunnel through your soil, opening up passageways for air and water to reach your plants’ roots.
5. Compost is a garden insurance. Not only is compost teeming with all kinds of microorganisms and soil fauna that help convert soil nutrients into a form that can be readily absorbed by your plants, the microorganisms, enzymes, vitamins and natural antibiotics that are present in compost actually help prevent many soil pathogens from harming your plants. Earthworms, millipedes, and other macro-organisms tunnel through your soil, opening up passageways for air and water to reach your plants’ roots.