Of Neighbours, Backyards, Dreams and Compost: Part 2

I recently wrote about a lucky coincidence with a compost bin and our neighbours which means we can start composting near the house now.

So one key thing about compost is the mix of materials. You want to create an atmosphere in the compost bin or heap where bugs and microbes can get to work on decomposing the organic matters.

So what can we compost?

Organic material
Garden waste
Kitchen waste
Paper and cardboard

What should not be composted?

Non organic waste
Plastics
Metals
Meat or fish (these can attract vermin)
Thick branches
Pernicious weeds

Balance
It’s important not to have too much of certain things. Grass cuttings for example can make the compost too wet.

In our compost we’ll be including plenty of the following:
Hedge clippings
Some grass
Egg shells
Potato peelings
Chicken waste
Fruit peel
Tea leaves

So to start off the famous dalek we had a cunning plan.

Exhibit A

A load of wonderful moss. of course it’ll take some harvesting.

Exhibit B

Oh no! Someone nicked it!

I decided all that amazing moss would be full of microbes and worms and bugs. A perfect medium for the bottom layer of the compost heap.

We’ll be building up our community compost over the next few weeks.