Richard Jackson's composting tips

Hello! As it's Compost Awareness week, I've put together some tips for good composting. I'd encourage anyone to make their own compost as there's something really satisfying about turning kitchen and garden waste into magic for your plants - and it's free!

The ideal mix for your compost heap is:

• kitchen peelings like potato peel, apple cores, and carrot tops.

• grass clippings from the garden.

• fibrous materials like prunings, woody materials and scrunched-up paper.

Don't add cooked food to your compost heap as this will attract vermin.

Adding layers

The secret to good composting is adding material in layers.

Composting isn't an exercise in precision, but avoid putting too much of any one thing onto your compost heap at any one time. The ideal mix is kitchen peelings, grass clippings, and fibrous materials in even quantities.

For your fibrous layer, an excellent alternative to woody materials is scrunched-up pieces of newspaper. This gives your heap the added aeration it needs to ensure the materials break down in extra-quick time.

Be patient. Some people turn over their compost heap every six months, but I never bother because if you've got layers and the aeration from your fibrous material, there's no need.

Managing your compost heap

Ideally you want two or three bins on the go; one that's just starting, one that's full, and one that's maturing.

It takes about a year for the compost to turn into decent humus. Your compost is magical stuff, so use it every time you plant something. Compost retains water, encourages plant roots to grow better, and it has a bit of nutrient content so it's fantastic stuff.

Read more of my gardening blog entries.

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