Composting at Home: Turn Waste Into Gold for Your Farm
The best fertiliser is often free, made from waste you already have. Layer browns and greens, keep the pile moist, and in months you have rich compost.
The best fertiliser is often one you can make for free from waste you already have. Compost feeds your soil, helps it hold water, and steadily reduces your input bill. Making it at home is simple once you understand the basic recipe.
What you can and cannot compost
Good compost needs a mix of two kinds of material. “Green” materials are rich in nitrogen — kitchen vegetable waste, fresh weeds, green leaves and cow dung. “Brown” materials are rich in carbon — dry leaves, straw, crop residue and dry grass. A healthy heap uses more brown than green. Avoid meat, oily food and diseased plant material, which cause smells and problems.
The simple pit or heap method
Choose a shaded spot and make a pit or a heap. Layer brown and green materials alternately. Add a little cow dung slurry and enough water to keep the pile moist — about as damp as a wrung-out sponge, never soggy. Every couple of weeks, turn the heap to let air in, which speeds up decomposition and prevents bad smells. In roughly two to three months, the pile transforms into dark, crumbly, sweet-smelling compost.
Vermicompost: faster and richer
For a richer, faster product, use earthworms. In a shaded bed with cow dung and organic waste, earthworms convert the material into nutrient-rich vermicompost quickly. It is especially good for vegetables and home gardens.
How to use your compost
Mix compost into the soil before sowing, or apply it around growing plants. It improves the soil's structure and water-holding capacity and feeds the soil life that underpins every healthy crop. Unlike chemical fertiliser, it keeps working season after season.
Frequently asked
How long does compost take to make?+
About two to three months with the pit or heap method; vermicompost can be faster.
What should I not put in compost?+
Avoid meat, oily food and diseased plant material.
Is vermicompost better than normal compost?+
It is richer and faster and excellent for vegetables, though both are very good for soil.
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