Although these can all be recycled in council waste collections too, it makes sense to reap the benefits yourself by turning them into
Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: ⢠Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.
When spread over the soil surface or lightly forked in, home-made compostadds valuable organic matter that improves the soilâs structure, aeration and biodiversity.It can boost moisture retention in fast-draining sandy soils and aiddrainage in heavy clay soils. Used as a mulch, it helps to hold moisture in the soil and slow down evaporation in summer.
Garden compost can also be used tomake potting compost, when combined with other ingredients such as soil â see our guide to making your own potting compost.
Although it is possible to make compost just by piling up garden waste in a heap, itâs more efficient and space-saving to use a bin. You canbuild your own from wooden pallets or recycled planks, orbuy a purpose-made bin. These are available in a wide range of shapes, sizes and styles, from compact and durable âDalekâ bins to attractive wooden beehive shapes, and even rotating tumblers. There are options to suit all sizes and styles of garden.
Itâs only in the very smallest gardens where you might find it hard to squeeze in acompost bin or generate enough material to fill it, in which case you could consider worm composting instead.
Composting is the process by which plant material is heaped together to rot (decompose) to produce compost. Garden or kitchen waste can be broken down over time in a compost bin or heap to produce crumbly organic matter that can be used as a mulch, soil conditioner and a constituent of potting compost.
Dead wood and compost heap habitats
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