TL;DR **Recommended First Steps**
**Basics: ** Buy a basic compost bin (£20-50) or just start piling stuff in a corner. Learn about green/brown materials and try for a 1:3 carbon:nitrogen ratio. Add kitchen scraps and garden waste. **Time:** You’ll see decomposition in 1-2 weeks. Finished compost in 3-6 months with basic management or as quickly as 4 weeks if you turn it. **Cost:** £20 buys a basic plastic bin. £50-100 gets you a decent compost tumbler. Free if you use pallets or chicken wire to build an open heap.
Disclaimer – I am not a professional gardener or composting expert. I’m just someone who started composting about eight years ago and found the entire process so rewarding that I’ve never looked back.
I started composting for the dullest reason possible. My food waste wheelie bin used to stink something rotten during the summer, and I’d read that putting kitchen scraps on the heap would help. What I didn’t realise was that I would love actually making compost. Or how annoyed I’d get knowing there was perfectly good compost sitting in my bin every week that I was paying the council to take away, only to buy back by the bag from the garden centre.
I tried a few times and failed dismally before I really started getting the hang of it. My first attempt involved a cheap plastic compost bin from B&Q. I filled it up with every biodegradable thing I could think of including a huge pile of grass clippings after my first cut of the season. Then I waited for something magical to happen. Instead, it went slimy, wet and began to smell. It looked like pond weed rather than garden compost. I’d unwittingly created perfect anaerobic composting conditions… except I didn’t know that at the time. Too much grass clippings (nitrogen rich), too wet, no airflow, and no understanding of what I was supposed to be achieving.
It took me three failed heaps before I sat down and read about carbon: nitrogen ratios and the difference between composting and rotting. Once I understood the basics though, composting became simple. Not easy, exactly, but predictable. You do certain things, you get certain results. Here’s how:
## What Exactly is Composting?
Composting is simply accelerated decomposition in controlled conditions. With composting, you’re creating the perfect environment for bacteria and microorganisms to break down organic matter quickly. The result is stable, finished compost that you can use as a soil improver.
The basic process of composting has been around since people started farming animals and plants hundreds of years ago. It just didn’t have a name, and farmers mostly used it for animal wastes mixed with whatever crop residues they had available. Composting as we know it today started to take shape in the early 20th century as scientists began to unlock the mysteries of microbiology and decomposition.
Why does this matter to you? Because household food and drink waste makes up 6.4 million tonnes of rubbish every year from UK homes (WRAP). When it goes to landfill, it decomposes and creates methane.
Methane is one of the major components of landfill gas which is roughly 50% methane and 50% carbon dioxide (UK Parliament). Methane is around 25x more powerful as a greenhouse gas than CO2 over a 100-year timescale.
So if you compost at home, you’ll divert waste from landfill, and stop it from producing methane. Then you get free compost. Finished compost improves soil structure and water holding capacity by increasing organic matter (USDA NRCS), and has a pH of around 6-8 (Gardening Know How) which is perfect for most garden plants.
## When Science Works
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t convinced at first. Surely chucking potato peelings on a heap along with dead leaves isn’t going to give you something better than the stuff you can buy in bags? Add grass cuttings? No way – that will just smell. After years of seeing my compost bins going wrong and nothing happening despite hours faffing around trying different “methods”, when I finally read about the why and the how I started composting properly.
It clicked.
The science and research on what’s happening inside your compost heap is solid. Once you know what’s supposed to happen and how to achieve those results, you can compost year in year out with predictable results.
Here’s the thing. Aerobic composting (which is what we’re aiming for) is about creating conditions that produce lots of good bacteria and microorganisms to break down the compost quickly. You want a Carbon: Nitrogen ratio of between 25:1 and 30:1 ideally (Compost Magazine). But don’t worry about that number just yet. What’s much easier to remember is that you want roughly 1 part green: nitrogen rich materials to 3 parts browns/carbon rich materials (The Spruce).
If you get this balance right, and maintain other conditions like airflow, moisture, and temperature your compost pile should heat up to over 55°C. Temperatures this high kill off most pathogens and weed seeds while killing off plant material, and speeds up decomposition significantly. Studies show that compost piles need to reach 131°F (55°C) for 3 days to reliably reduce pathogens in aerated static piles (US EPA). The Berkeley hot composting method claims to produce finished compost in as little as 18 days (Deep Green Permaculture) by managing the pile very intensively.
Cold composting doesn’t work quite as fast or efficiently, but will still produce compost without much input from you. Even novice composters can produce finished compost in as little as three months with good carbon-nitrogen balance and regular turning (The Spruce). Finished compost should have a carbon to nitrogen ratio of around 10: 1 to 15:1 (Cornell Composting) which is ideal for garden use.
Digging through my bottom compost bin after a year or so of building it up I’ve produced two to three wheelbarrow loads of finished compost per year from a household of two adults. It’s indistinguishable from any garden centre bagged compost I’ve bought in terms of performance. Costs me next to nothing once I’m up and running and takes care of about 80% of our kitchen scraps plus all the garden clippings and leaves.
## How I Got it Wrong
* Thinking all “greens” and kitchen waste are the same. Your compost heap will go anaerobic quickly if you overload it with grass clippings and food scraps. These are both nitrogen rich materials that quickly turn slimy and smelly when there’s too much of them. “Brown” carbon rich materials like dry leaves, shredded cardboard or newspaper add necessary structure and bulk to your heap.
* Expecting a small bin to work well. There’s nothing wrong with small bins per se but when researching composting I discovered that home heaps should be at least 1mx1mx1m to compost efficiently . Bins with a capacity of less than 1 cubic metre are also generally less efficient than larger bins (RHS). Small piles just don’t heat up enough or retain the heat long enough to get things cooking.
* Thinking I could just leave it. Related to the above. If I gave things a good turn now and again but didn’t maintain the green/brown carbon: nitrogen ratio with more materials they would quickly turn anaerobic. Heat is generated when you compost properly because microorganisms are feeding on the material you give them, and generating that heat as a by-product. Once your compost pile cools down, things happen a lot more slowly. Cold composting can still produce finished compost if you leave it alone, but it can take 12-18 months.
* Adding things that don’t belong. Tried meat and dairy initially. big mistake. Cooked food is fine in small quantities but does tend to attract vermin. Oily or salty foods shouldn’t go in your compost bin. Neither should diseased plants or perennial weeds with roots or seeds.
* Thinking finished compost looks a certain way. When I first started all I could see was a big brown bowlful of mushy pea-green stuff that seemed to sit there forever. I didn’t know finished compost when I saw it. I was expecting something dark brown and ‘crambled’ like the bagged stuff from the garden centre. Home compost looks different. It’s not perfectly smooth and dark like shop compost. It’s chunkier and a bit browner but works just as well.
* Digging around on Google. I couldn’t find any one site that had all the answers, so I bounced from gardening forum to green website obsessing over technical details and never really learning the simple stuff. Errors above number 1-4 are almost all things I learned after Googling too much. Steer clear of trying to learn about composting this way.
## Fast Composting
To compost really quickly you have to create the perfect environment for millions of microscopic bacteria and fungi to thrive.
| Aerobic Hot Composting | Cold Composting | Tumbling | Vermicomposting/Wormeries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your new best friend when you have lots of garden waste as well as kitchen scraps. Time to finished compost ranges from 4-6 weeks with proper management ((Treehugger)). Best Results | I did this for years before researching compost methods. Balances out over time. Needs turning but not as often as hot composting. Takes 6-18 months ((The Spruce)). Relatively low effort with basic monitoring and turning. | Not suitable for large volumes but easy turnovers and can look really good in a small garden. Compost is ready in 6-8 weeks ((Better Homes and Gardens)). | I keep one indoors all year for kitchen scraps only. Wormeries don’t tend to get hot so take 2-3 months. Ideal for indoor kitchen scraps. |
How fast you can compost depends on surface area, air flow, moisture levels and temperature. Microbes need plenty of air to work quickly so regular turning is important. Microbes eat everything in your compost bin or heap but they prefer small pieces to large ones. The more surface area there is, the quicker things decompose. The smaller you chop up material, the quicker it will compost. Heat accelerates decomposition – as does moisture, but only up to a point. Too much water fills the airspace in the compost bin leaving less room for bacteria and fungi.
Dry compost piles won’t decompose much at all. The ideal moisture level for composting is around 40% to 60% ((The Compost Shop UK)). Imagine squeezing a handful of compost and only having one or two drops of water drip out. Damp – but not dripping. That’s ideal. You should turn your compost every week or two if you’re hot composting (see table above). More on turning later.
## Practical Composting for Beginners
If you want to get started now, here’s my top tips:
* You get faster results from the largest composting system your space allows. For the fastest decomposition you need enough volume for good insulation and airflow while retaining the heat you generate through composting. Start small if you have to but expect it to take longer.
* Gather brown materials before you need them. Unless you live in a house that backs onto a woodland none of us have year-round access to brown materials. Collect bagged leaves in the autumn and keep them somewhere dry. Flatten cardboard boxes and shred them. Save up eggshells from your kitchen and crush them up. Many towns also have tree surgeons who’ll sell you wood chips if you ask nicely.
* Learn what can and can’t go in your compost bin. Food and garden waste should be 80-90% of what you compost. The more accurate you can be with balancing browns and greens the quicker you’ll compost and the less likely you’ll be to create problems. The list of compostable materials is long, but there are very few reasons you can’t compost it on your backyard heap.
* Don’t worry about nitrogen ratios or pH levels. You don’t need to know the science to compost. In fact knowing too much can make you overthink things. Compost brown materials to green materials in roughly a 3:1 ratio by volume. The perfect carbon: nitrogen ration shouldn’t matter to you – just get enough browns on top of food waste to stop things smelling badly and you’ll be fine.
* Kitchen scraps + dried leaves (or shredded paper) = good compost. When I want to make sure things compost quickly I take equal parts greens to browns and chop up any large items. Bonus points if you shred cardboard into tiny pieces. Keep your compost damp like a wrung-out sponge and turn regularly.
* Don’t dig around on Google. Educate yourself from the real experts then stop seeking answers. Here are mine:
How to Start Composting at Home (& what setup works in any sized garden) What you need to know to get setup correctly from day 1. Easy to do wrong but vital if you want to avoid wasted effort early on.
Compost Bins vs Tumbler vs Open Heaps (& Which One Suits Your Garden) You don’t need to spend much on equipment. The choice between bins, tumblers and open heaps is really about space and how hands-on you want to be with your compost.
What Can and Can’t Go in a Compost Bin (& that idiots guide to clearing up the confusion) Food waste plus garden scraps account for most compostables. Once you know these two categories inside out you’ll know more than 99% of people who don’t compost.
Worm Composting Indoors (& how to set up a worm farm in a flat or garage) Easy, quick and useful to do even if you have space outdoors. Vermicomposting is cool and worms will eat almost anything in your kitchen.
Bokashi Composting (& the kitchen system for people without a garden) Fancy having a compost system that can process meat & dairy waste? Japanese Bokashi composting might be for you.
How Long Does Composting Take (& what affects the speed it happens) Composting speeds up and slows down naturally over the year. Start with too much stuff and you may find your compost doesn’t ‘cook’ in warm weather.
Troubleshooting Common Compost Problems (& why it smells wrong, looks wrong or won’t break down) Got an avocado pit that’s not rotting? Used up your compost bins life until stuff just sits there? These composting troubleshooting tips will get you back on track.
Using Finished Compost (& when and where to put it) So you’ve got compost… great! But did you know it’s better if you screen and cure it first?
Community Composting (& what to do if you cant compost at home) Composting in flats and rented properties can be a pain. Here’s how to avoid wasting food if you can’t compost at home.
## Budget Friendly
Here’s how much you’ll need to spend to start composting right now. These options work just as well as the expensive equipment and containers marketed at keen gardeners. All you need to decide is how much time you want to spend managing your compost vs dumping it all in a heap and leaving it alone.
| Space Needed | Cost To Get Started | Effort Required | Time To Finished Compost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £0-20 | 2m x 1m min | Pallets free to £30 | Medium | 6-12 months |
| Build your own open heap/pallet system | 1m² min | A basic plastic container. £20-80 | Low – Medium | 8-18 months |
| Buy cheap plastic compost bins | 2m² floor space | Tumble system. £80-£200+ | Medium | 6-8 weeks |
| Invest in a compost tumbler | Can be kept indoors | Worm composting bins £50-£150 | Medium | 2-3 months |
| Or get worm composting |
Open heaps or pallet systems are great for large volumes of materials. You can just dump everything in and tend to do less turning than bins or tumblers. If space is tight a basic plastic bin works well for cold composting and small households. Bonus points if you get one with a serrated edge up the front so you can remove compost without digging away from the front each time.
Tumblers cost more but work quickly if you’re prepared to turn them regularly. Wire mesh divider bins let you have one bay filling, one composting, and one finishing. When the latter is ready you empty it and start the cycle again. Perfect if you hate digging compost out of a heap.
Wormeries are great if you live in flats, have limited space or want something for kitchen scraps only. They don’t compost as quickly as hot piles but you can keep them going year-round indoors if you prefer.
## What You’ll Need to Start
For best results aim to collect enough brown materials to cover everything you add to the compost bin. Layer garden waste and kitchen scraps if possible. If you’re starting a heap from scratch dig over the base where it will sit so it’s moist but not soaked. Lay down some browns, wet them, then add greens on top. Sprinkle another layer of browns over the top. Repeat until you run out of material or bin space.
| Hot Composting | Time To Finished Product | Management | Space Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold composting | 4-6 weeks | High. Once a week minimum turning. | At least 1 cubic metre. Large tumblers need 2m x 2m space to rotate. |
| Tumbling | 6-8 months | Medium. Every few weeks to move material from one bin to another. | 1m² minimum. |
| Worm composting | 2-3 years | Medium. Feed worms and keep moist. Don’t overfeed. | Desk top |
To speed up composting chop materials into smaller pieces before you add them to the heap. Smaller surface area = faster composting. Water your compost pile if it starts to dry out. Never let it get as wet as swimming pool water but ideally keep it damp.
Turning your compost introduces oxygen and keeps the process aerobic. Without air your heap will rot instead of composting. If you don’t want to or can’t turn your compost every week shift it all to one side of the bin when you add new materials. That way you can turn it by moving half the contents to the other side.
## Going Further
If you’re really struggling to get things going contact your local council and ask if they run a composting teaching scheme. Most cities in the UK offer somewhere local you can take children or visit to learn about composting first hand. Either that or ask in your local Facebook gardening group – there’s always someone willing to offer advice.<
