Compost 101: A complete guide to how to start composting for beginners

Home composting is an excellent way to reduce food waste whilst creating quality soil that your plants will love. Even better, it’s very easy to implement at home once you know how, and you don’t need a huge garden to start composting. If you’re looking to make a move towards more sustainable living, we’ve created this beginner’s guide on how to make compost to help you get started. Keep reading as we discuss why you should be composting, and how it can help our planet and allow your plants to thrive.

Why should you compost? 

Composting at home provides plenty of benefits aside from helping to reduce food waste, for example, composting can help you to save on small costs as you won’t need to buy your own garden compost each year, and it improves the quality of the soil in your garden. By essentially turning your food scraps into plant food, you’ll start to see healthier plants and bigger flower heads. 

In addition to this, compost is hugely beneficial to the environment because reducing food and garden waste in turn helps to reduce the amount of methane greenhouse gas produced. This can help you to contribute to a more eco-conscious and self-sustained lifestyle. Furthermore, because compost helps to enrich the soil and improve plant growth, crops, flowers, and plants that are placed in compost-rich soil tend to be more resistant to diseases and fungi, which means there is less need for synthetic or harmful pesticides. So, not only will you be creating your own nutrient-rich soil, you’ll be contributing to a healthier environment. Other benefits of composting include:

• Home compost adds nutrients and beneficial microbes to your soil
• It can provide a supplemental amount of slow-release nutrients for healthier plants
• Encourages healthy root structure for more resilience to harsh conditions
• Attracts and feeds earthworms and other beneficial soil microorganisms to improve biodiversity
• Helps balance soil pH (acidity/alkalinity) and release essential nutrients back into the soil

How to make a compost bin or compost heap

Whilst it is possible to compost small amounts indoors with the use of a specially designed compost bin, and it still has great benefits, we’d recommend that you compost in your garden if you have one. Getting started with composting is quite simple, but there are a few things you should consider to help you generate better results. 

If you are worried about the appearance of your garden, you have a small space to work with or you have pets, then we recommend using a designated outdoor compost bin with a closable lid to contain any unappealing sights and smells. The bin will need to be placed in a sunny spot as the heat will help to break down food waste and attract worms or other insects that play a part in composting. 

Alternatively, you can opt for a compost heap. You can make these yourself by assembling a wooden box in your garden, and if you’re DIY handy you can build a box using reclaimed wood or palettes. If you are building a compost heap and aren’t worried about pets getting to the scraps or attracting pests then a lid won’t be necessary, but you’ll still need to choose a sunny space in your garden for the process to work. 

Once you’ve got your chosen container in place, it’s time to add your materials to ensure that your scraps can break down properly. The key to success is to try and add equal parts of green waste (such as grass clippings, wilted flowers and tea bags) to your brown waste (food scraps, straw, and fallen leaves). Maintaining this balance is important because brown materials are rich in carbon, feeding the organisms that break down the scraps and "green" materials supply nitrogen, both of which are key for successful composting.

What can you put in a compost bin?

To help simplify what makes good composting material, we’ve listed some of the best things to place in your bin to create nutrient-rich soil. Just make sure that you have equal parts of green and brown waste for a healthy mixture.

Brown Waste for Compost

• Grass and plant cuttings
• Eggshells
• Shredded paper
• Sawdust and animal bedding
• Hair and fur 
• Straw
• Dry leaves

Green Waste for Compost

• Fruit and vegetable scraps
• Teabags and coffee grounds
• Fresh leaves
• Hedge clippings
• Seaweed and kelp

What shouldn’t you put in a compost bin?

Many people are under the impression that you can compost any kind of food or waste, however this isn’t true. Adding the wrong things will result in poor-quality soil and will likely attract unwanted pests. You should avoid adding the following types of materials to your compost bin.

• Meat or fish 
• Dairy products
• Pet waste such as cat litter or dog waste
• Diseased plants or flowers
• Chemically treated wood and coloured paper
• Ashes from a fireplace or barbecue

How long does composting take?

The decomposition of your initial materials can take anywhere between two months to a year, but this depends on conditions such as how finely you chop your ingredients, and the temperature of the bin. Cold compost will take much longer, but warmer temperatures will help accelerate the process. Your compost will be ready when it has a crumbly texture and should smell earthy. Additionally, larger compost heaps typically perform better than smaller ones, so if you’re hoping to use your soil soon you should create a larger bin, any uncomposted material can be readded into the pile to reach maturity. 

Another important thing to note is that your compost will need both oxygen and moisture, so to help the process run smoothly you’ll occasionally need to sprinkle the soil with water unless your scraps are wet enough on their own. You can also churn the top layers to increase oxygen content.

Common composting problems and how to fix them

Composting is a simple process, but if you’ve never done it before you may find that some problems will crop up. The good news is there is often an easy fix. Below you’ll find some of the most common issues and what you can do to improve the quality of your compost.

Wet, slimy, or smelly compost - this is likely caused by a lack of air and too much moisture. Try covering the compost to protect against any rain, and add more brown waste that can absorb some of the excess moisture.

Dry mixture with little decomposition - this is the opposite problem of the above, in this instance, you’ll need to add more moisture or wet material to encourage the decomposition process.

Flies swarming the bin - you are likely to see some flies hovering around your bin, but large quantities shouldn’t be present. This can be annoying for you and your neighbours. To fix this, we’d suggest ensuring that there is enough oxygen in the bin and that the materials aren’t too damp as flies like to lay eggs in wet soil.

What to do with your compost

Once your compost is ready, it will be a rich brown colour and have an earthy smell and spongy yet crumbly texture. You’ll be able to use it in your plant beds, or as potting for indoor plants. If you don’t have a garden, you could donate your compost to local allotments, church gardens, or other agricultural projects which will often be happy to receive high-quality soil for their plants. Alternatively, you could choose to spread it on nearby trees in the community, or anywhere else that may benefit from this nutrient-rich compost. 

Start composting with Planet Organic

Here at Planet Organic, we stock a wide range of food and ingredients that have been ethically sourced and grown meaning that when added to your compost bin, there’ll be no unwanted surprises in the form of synthetic fertilisers or pesticides, ensuring your compost bin can produce high-quality soil for any project. If you’re looking for other ways to increase your sustainability, check out more articles from our blog to find further ways to live with a more eco-conscious mindset.