How to start a compost bin and keep it at its best

As we look for sustainable solutions to reduce our carbon footpring, making rather than buying compost is a good starting point. According to the RHS in their recent greener gardening launch :

"Carbon saving quantities linked to home composting (as opposed to buying bagged retail compost) are equivalent to 1.85 miles (driven by average car) saved per kg of home compost made.

Every 1kg of homemade compost saves 0.1kg fossil carbon, which could save more than 15 - 19kg carbon, per gardener, per year."

At Wheelie Bin Solutions we're seeing more and more customers ask us about how to start a compost bin and the best ways to make a success of it.

Compost is a great way to reuse organic waste by turning it back into fertiliser for the garden. It's a closed-loop process and requires  very little external energy or material input, making it a good eco-friendly option.

The good news is that it's quite easy to start a compost bin even in a small garden, while in larger gardens you might want to consider starting a compost heap at the back of a flowerbed or shrubbery instead.

For a self-contained compost bin, all you really need is a food waste wheelie bin and the right kinds of food and garden waste, and away you go.

What food waste goes in a compost bin?

Raw vegetable waste including fruit and vegetable peels, off-cuts like carrot tops, and leftover ingredients that you didn't fully use up can all go in your compost bin.

You can also put garden waste in there, like dead leaves, grass clippings, and dead flowers you pull up from your borders - just be careful not to let any invasive weeds get in there.

Avoid anything that will make your compost bin turn nasty, such as meat that can become infested with maggots, or dairy which will cause your compost to smell awful.

Top tips for healthy compost

Although it's not too hard to maintain a healthy compost bin or compost heap, there are a few things you can do to give your compost the best chance of rotting down to a rich fertiliser instead of a mouldy mess.

Here are a few of our top tips for the best compost:

• Put your compost bin on a flat, level and well drained surface.
• Turn your compost regularly to introduce air into the mix.
• Add worms to digest the waste faster for even quicker quality compost.

If your compost is too wet, introduce some dry materials like dead leaves or even some old shredded paper or egg cartons. These will also create air pockets as they rot down, helping to aerate your compost even more.

Do's and don't of composting 

There are just a few  final do's and don't  of composting to keep in mind:

• Don't put large twigs and branches in your compost bin - these may me allowed in your garden waste wheelie bin or you could repurpose them elsewhere in the garden.
• Don't put non-compostable waste like plastic plant pots in your compost. Again, you might  be able to put these in your plastic recycling bin instead.
• Do regularly turn your compost so any undigested material is mixed through and not just left sitting on top.
•  excess fluid from your compost bin so the mix does not get too wet.
•   your compost when it  is well rotted down and looks a deep brown, rich and fertile, and free from any large undigested items.

Follow these tips and you should  be well on your way to a wheelie bin full of fertiliser, instead of a mouldy maggot-infested mess!

It may only be November, but Christmas is creeping up on us. In a year when we are seeking to reduce our carbon footprint, why not have a go at making an eco friendly Christmas wreath.

This wreath is fully compostable, has no plastic, and I made entirely it from vegetation found in the garden, which means it has travelled no air miles. 

It is easy to make, and unique as you will make it with what is to hand in your garden. Any questions, just drop me a mail.

Watch the video or click here to view on YouTube.

Dead heading is important to get the maximum number of flowers and flowering time from a plant.

Why?

The purpose of most plants, perennials and annuals, is to reproduce. Plants reproduce by producing flowers which become seeds which are shed and dispersed at which point the cycle is complete. To encourage a plant to keep flowering, or to produce a second flush of  flowers, remove the spent flower so no seed is produced and the plant will strive to produce another flower. 

Plants varying in how sensitive they are to dead heading, in terms of producing more flowers. Some plants, such as Clematis Crystal fountain, if deadheaded, may produce a second flush of flowers. For other plants, such as Sweet Peas, hardy Geraniums, and Roses, dead heading is vital to keep the plant flowering all summer long. Having explained this to a friend recently, she replied, "I did wonder why my sweet peas stopped flowering!" 

Head heading is also very important for bedding plants to keep them flowering. If they are not deadheaded, the flowers will become less and less, and the plant leggy and will soon go over. With a little care most bedding plants should flower for weeks if not months. 

Plant such as hardy geraniums, common name, Cranesbill, can be very time consuming to dead head. The image is of the dead flower heads removed from a hardy Geranium in one session. If it become too much, an alternative  with Cranesbill, Achillea mollis is to sheer the plant close to ground level and if done early enough in the growing season, it may produce a second flush of flowers. Doing this will certainly produce fresh green foliage if the plant is looking tired. If you don't like the look of plants cut back you can always sheer them before a holiday and they will have produced new growth by the time you are back. Late June and July is a suitable time to cut back hardy geraniums.

If you are looking to dead head flowers with a single flower spike such as Delphinium, Digitalis (Foxglove) Salvia, just remove the spent  spike and sometimes the plant will reward with a smaller second flush alongside.

March is the ideal time to start sowing tomatoes if you intend to grow from seed, or  for buying plug plants for growing on. Tomatoes are not hardy and will need to be kept under glass in a warm place until later in the year for planting out late May.

If you are new to growing tomatoes, or just need a bit of advice, the sunday gardener has a step by step guide starting with How to grow tomatoes covering all the tomato growing steps, including potting on, pinching out side shoots and the all important watering and feeding regime.

Which are the easiest tomatoes to grow? 

Check out The Sunday Gardener's easy paperback guide " Success with Tomatoes"

Lots of video advice about growing tomatoes on the Sunday Gardener You Tube channel .