Compost Activators & Makers

Compost making is a productive activity for gardeners. All vegetable waste from the kitchen and garden can be used in a compost heap to rot down into good compost. A mix of ‘green’ leafy material and ‘brown’ twiggy material will make the best compost. Green is nitrogen rich and brown is carbon and trace element rich.

Compost Making Essentials

• The compost material needs to rot down and there are ways to help this process.
• Insects, worms and bacteria are key as they chew there way through the material. Chopping it up provides more access points for the critters to chomp at.
• Rotting happens better when slightly damp rather than when bone dry.
• Heat speeds up the process and this will be improved with air and an activator.

Activators and Compost Makers

• Adding a spadeful of soil mixed in to the heap will add soil microbes and worms.
• Turning a compost heap introduces more air and avoids compaction. The introduction of this extra oxygen can stimulate a new round of warm rotting.
• Animal urine adds natural salts and encourages critters to get on with the composting process.
• Chemical additives in powder form like Ammonium sulphate or proprietary products like Garrotta can speed up the heating. Liquid activators like Biotal perform a similar function and this is an eco-friendly product.
• If the heap is dry I water with Comfrey leaf water. (Soaked Comfrey leaves from an old water butt).
• The longer the temperature stays high, the shorter time will be needed for rotting.  Nitrogen  warms up fastest so grass clippings, nettles and comfrey leaves are good additives.

Compost makers, activators and additives are available from good garden centers and DIY shops or from Amazon

You can collect fallen leaves with a multi tine rake

For a labour saving job you can buy a garden vacuum from Amazon.

Read more Easy tips on Composting leaves

Read about Quicker better compost.