ALAN’S TOP TIPS

How long will it take?

Green waste rots down faster in warmer weather and slows down in winter. If you bank on a yearly turn-round – which certainly works for me – you’re unlikely to be disappointed and the time spent tending your developing compost will be minimal. If you have plenty of time on your hands and opt for the hot composting method of filling a bin with a good mixture of material, then turning it once a week, you can produce compost in as little as three to six months, but you will need to factor in the time and effort involved.

How do you save money?

You will save money by not buying ready-bagged compost such as farmyard manure, spent mushroom compost or other products that are sold as ‘soil improvers’ (whose precise contents will remain a mystery to you – and me). Also, by avoiding any soil enrichment containing peat, you’ll be helping to save precious peat-bog habitats, which should be a priority for us all. And once you’ve made your compost bin, which will involve a relatively small capital outlay, it should last for years.

What should I expect?

A surge of virtuousness will come over you! You’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that your garden is making a big step in the direction of being self-sufficient when it comes to soil enrichment, even if you cannot produce absolutely everything you need. You are doing your bit for the planet and you’re not throwing away material that can be beneficially returned to the earth from which it grew. Provided you keep the contents of your compost bin moist, well mixed and firm, it will rot down.

If it doesn’t, then attend to these three requirements to put it right. It really is as simple as that. I also expect you’ll get a thrill when you find the process has worked and you have a bin full of lovely crumbly sweet-smelling compost to give your soil a boost.