Here at Longbarrow the easiest way to start a compost heap is to create a box made from the wooden palettes that are regularly delivered to our site. If preferred plastic compost bins can often be purchased through your local council. Bournemouth Borough Council run a scheme offering subsidised compost bins from as little as £8 with an easy-to-follow guide on how to get started. You can download a form or you can email the recycling team or call the Recycle Now order line on 08450 770757.

A position in full sun will give the compost heap additional heat, allowing the contents to decompose more rapidly. If a sunny position can’t be found don’t worry, compost is easily made in a freestanding pile in a partially shaded area. For a compost heap to be effective, it should be a least a cubic metre in size if not bigger, smaller ones tend to be less effective.

When adding waste materials to the heap, the items should be as small as you can make them. The more surface area that is exposed, the quicker it will decompose. Shredded or chipped material is a big help. Some people add layers of dirt between the compost to help add micro-organisms or better still as many worms as you can lay your hands on. Compost heaps in containers can be built up with successive layers of green and brown material, with thin layers of top soil to help the process.

The best ingredients.

Browns are dry and dead plant materials, such as straw, hay, dry brown weeds, autumn leaves, nutshells, shredded paper, wood chip and saw dust. Because they tend to be dry it is best to moisten them as you put them in the heap.

Greens are fresh plant materials, such as green weeds (not pernicious), fruit and vegetable scraps, green leaves, grass clippings, tea bags, sea weed, green manures and fresh horse manure. Compared to brown, greens contain more nitrogen.

What to leave out

Chemically treated woods, diseased plants, human and pet waste, meat, bones and fatty food waste and pernicious weeds. Cooked food waste will attract rats. Diseased plants should be burnt or bagged up and removed from site. Any diseased plants left laying around or added to your heap will re appear next year, they also can affect your neighbours plot along with the rest of the site, so be aware. If you are unsure ask.

A compost heap is a fantastic way to not only recycle and get goodness back in to the soil but also a means for cutting down on the use of chemically produced fertilisers.