Introduction
The best approach to nourish your plants is to make your own compost, but the process can be excruciatingly long. With a few easy procedures, we can expedite the process and quickly create a large amount of compost.
Basics of Composting
Composting is easy when you keep in mind the basics: Green materials, Brown materials, Air, and Water. Get the balance of these four ingredients right and you'll dramatically shrink the time it takes to create beautifully crumbly, sweet-smelling compost.
Tips for Speeding Up Composting
And there are other steps besides, so here come my top tips to really power up your compost. And do stick around to the end because we'll be making a new compost heap using pallets that you can get for free.
The Right Mix of Green and Brown Materials
First up, aim for the right mix of green materials to browns. We want roughly equal proportions.
Identifying Green Materials
What determines whether something is a 'green' or a 'brown'? Well, green materials tend to have a higher nitrogen content and will be sappier and fleshier in texture. Examples include grass clippings, spent crops and old bedding plants, weeds (make sure they're free of seeds so you don't spread them around), and any kitchen scraps. Not all green materials are obvious; tea leaves and coffee grounds are actually 'greens' despite being brown because they have quite a high nitrogen content.
Identifying Brown Materials
Similarly, look at these grass clippings; they're quite brown but they still count as 'greens' because all they've lost is moisture and the nitrogen content remains unaffected. And then we have our 'browns', which have a higher carbon content, making them drier, coarser materials. Examples include leaves, twiggy prunings, wood chippings, straw, and anything made from plant materials, such as scrunched up or shredded newspaper or torn up bits of cardboard.
Preparing Materials for Composting
Whatever you add, try to keep the pieces as small as possible because smaller pieces will have a greater surface area that those composting organisms can get to work on. So chop up stems like this or you could shred woodier material. Not everyone has a shredder, but you may find that if you've got a powerful lawnmower that'll be really good at chopping up non-woody materials such as corn stalks, or you could just use your pruners or loppers or stab at material with a spade.
Adding a Natural Activator
Next, add a natural activator, which is anything that kick-starts or boosts your compost. I wouldn't bother with off-the-shelf products described as 'compost makers' or 'compost accelerators'. They're a bit expensive and not really worth the investment.
Best Natural Activators
Instead, the very best activator is the manure of herbivorous animals; everything from chicken droppings to horse manure or your own 'liquid gold'. Own up! Who else pees in their compost heap? Come on, let me know down below.
Alternative Natural Activators
But look if you're a bit squeamish about using either pee or manures then see if you can get hold of some coffee grounds. Most coffee shops are only too happy to give them to you as they are after all a waste product. If you're running short on 'browns' then try asking neighbors who keep guinea pigs, rabbits or small rodents. The straw or shavings together with their pee and their poo makes a really potent mix and will really help speed things up on the compost heap.
Mixing or Turning Your Compost Heap
What all of these natural activators have in common is that they have a very high nitrogen content, making them powerful accelerants, especially if your compost heap has lots of browns in it. Regularly mixing or turning your compost heap is a great way to get more oxygen in there to give it a new lease of life.
Timing for Mixing or Turning
Now it is hard work but if you're after double quick compost it's well worth the efforts. You can do this at any time but it makes sense to at least do it one or two weeks after you've finished filling it up. My compost tip is pretty full now so let's get on and turn this lot.
Benefits of Mixing or Turning
By doing this, all those beneficial bacteria will get a boost of oxygen. They'll in turn build up the heat in my heap as they get to work, which should slash weeks, perhaps even months off the time it takes to get my final, beautiful crumbly compost.
To Cover or Not to Cover
To cover or not to cover? That is the question. Well, as we head into winter it's a good idea to cover open heaps like this one to both insulate it and stop it from getting too wet from those heavy winter rains. Insulating the heap keeps things active for longer as temperatures start to drop.
Types of Covering Materials
You can use any type of sheeting, or just several layers of cardboard like this should shed most of the rain. If you're going to use old carpet for this just make sure it's one made from natural fibers such as jute or hemp as you don't want any man-made materials ending up in your compost.
Managing Moisture Levels
Avoiding soggy compost made wet from either excessive rain or lots of green materials really is a must in our quest for quicker compost. If it gets too wet it will get heavier and slump down turning your heap into a putrid, smelly mess. Not nice! If it gets in this state dig it all out and restack it again with more browns to help open it out a bit and keep it covered.
Adding Moisture to Dry Compost
In the same vein, if it gets a bit dry then get in there with a watering can and give it a really thorough watering once or twice a week to re-wet it. How do you tell if it's wet enough? Well get your hand in there and grab some of the material and give it a good squeeze. It should feel moist but it shouldn't be so wet that drips come draining off it.
Monitoring the Compost Heap
Here's a heap that has been recently remixed and just look at the temperature it's reaching! That heat is just coming from the bacteria breaking down the material and it speeds up the whole process of decomposition to make better compost, faster.
Building a New Compost Heap
When building up a heap we want to add the ingredients in a way that keeps everything lightly moist and full of air. That will keep the organisms that help with decomposition happy and thriving. This heap now is going to mature so let's start a new one so I can show you how to add all the ingredients.
Setting Up the New Heap
But before we do that, please take a moment to subscribe and turn on notifications so you can see how the final compost turns out. Oh and do drop this video a like as well! There's no time like the present to start a new heap. I'm starting my new heap here on this cleared area of ground. It's going to sit directly on the soil which will make it easier for all of those wondrous worms and beneficial bacteria to find their way in and that will kick-start the composting process a little bit sooner.
Adding Walls to the Compost Heap
Now it doesn't matter if you can't locate it directly onto soil; the worms will still find their way in, they always do somehow. And you can always introduce some soil or some mature compost from an existing heap into your new one to introduce all of those beneficial microorganisms. I'm adding walls to my compost heap using these three salvaged pallets which I'm joining together with this thick gauge wire.
Sturdy Compost Heap with Pallets
You could add a front to the heap as well and if you'd like to see how to make a really sturdy compost heap using pallets then do check out our article on that and I will pop a link. I'm hammering in this rebar here just to kind of pinch the wood into position so it doesn't get shaky.
Size and Location of Compost Heap
Now I produce quite a lot of compostable material. If you don't then of course a smaller, standard-made compost bin will work just fine and is probably a lot neater too. The advantage of a larger heap comes as we head into winter and things start to cool off. A larger heap has more outside layers if you like, keeping the inside well insulated and warmer so that it carries on remaining active for longer into winter.
Filling the Compost Heap
And now to start filling the heap. First of all I'm adding in some more open twiggy, brown material that'll keep the bottom nice and aerated so there's plenty of oxygen down there. And now in with some greens.
Proportions of Greens and Browns
As I said, we want to be adding our greens and browns in roughly equal proportions. Now I wouldn't obsess about this; the important thing is just to avoid water-heavy greens such as lots of grass clippings because they will slump down with the weight, creating an airless and really soggy mass and we really don't want that.
Balancing Greens and Browns
So by adding in the browns we can balance out all of those greens and keep everything nice and open and all of the beneficial organisms that help with composting really happy and fine and dandy. Finding enough browns at the height of the growing season can be tricky, but I find that having plain cardboard to hand or scrunched up paper just helps all those green materials from matting together into a slimy goo.
Fast and Fresh Compost
Now, follow these steps to speedy compost and you could be cooking up your compost during the growing season within three months. Now that is fast! You've got to love beautifully crumbly compost, made fast and fresh it has a really lovely, earthy, almost sweet smell. Just delicious! What plant isn't gonna love this?
Conclusion
If you want to dig deeper into this topic then this composting playlist is tailor-made for you, with more ideas to turbo charge your heap and some clever ways to use the end result. I'll catch you next time.
FAQs
Q: What is the best way to speed up the composting process?
A: To speed up the composting process, ensure you have a balanced mix of green and brown materials, keep the compost pile aerated by regularly turning it, and use natural activators like herbivorous animal manure or coffee grounds. Additionally, keeping the materials small and moist can also help accelerate decomposition.
Q: What are considered 'green' materials in composting?
A: 'Green' materials are high in nitrogen and include items like grass clippings, spent crops, old bedding plants, weeds (seed-free), kitchen scraps, tea leaves, and coffee grounds. Despite their brown appearance, tea leaves and coffee grounds are considered 'greens' due to their nitrogen content.
Q: What are considered 'brown' materials in composting?
A: 'Brown' materials are high in carbon and include items like leaves, twiggy prunings, wood chippings, straw, and plant-based materials such as scrunched-up or shredded newspaper and torn-up cardboard.
Q: Why is it important to balance green and brown materials in composting?
A: Balancing green and brown materials is crucial because green materials provide nitrogen, while brown materials provide carbon. A roughly equal mix helps maintain proper moisture and aeration, preventing the compost from becoming too wet or too dry, and promoting faster decomposition.
Q: How can I prepare materials for composting to speed up the process?
A: To prepare materials for composting, chop them into smaller pieces to increase their surface area, making it easier for composting organisms to break them down. You can use tools like a shredder, lawnmower, pruners, or a spade to achieve this.
Q: How often should I turn my compost heap?
A: It is beneficial to turn your compost heap regularly to introduce oxygen, which boosts the activity of beneficial bacteria and speeds up decomposition. Turning it once or twice a week is a good practice, especially a couple of weeks after the heap is full.
Q: How can I tell if my compost heap has the right moisture level?
A: To check the moisture level of your compost heap, grab a handful of material and squeeze it. It should feel moist but not so wet that water drips out. If it’s too dry, water it thoroughly once or twice a week until it reaches the proper moisture level.
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