1. Get your mix right

Aim for 25-50% soft green materials (such as grass clippings, annual weeds, vegetable/fruit kitchen waste). The other 50-75% should be woody brown material (such as prunings, wood chippings, paper, cardboard, straw or dead leaves). 

2. Turn your compost regularly

Compost will form over 1-2 years, but turning it regularly will improve the quality and speed of formation. Turning the compost with a rake or spade will help to aerate the compost and keep the temperature steady.

3. Find the right compost bin for you

Compost bins come in all shapes and sizes to suit your needs. You can even just create a pile of compost in the corner of the garden.  Check out these helpful guides on building your own compost bin or heap:

• The Wildlife Trusts home composting guide

• The RHS guide to home composting

• Making a compost heap with the Eden Project

• Set up a home compost with Recycle Now

• How to choose a composter with Earth Easy

• The best composters of 2023 with Gardeners World

• Worried about space? Why not consider a wormery?

4. Mix your compost in well

Home-made compost is best mixed into the soil in your garden or added on top as a mulch to add nutrients and reduce the amount you need to water it. It has too many nutrients for raising seeds and cuttings alone, so for this it’s a good idea to use a peat-free growing option like fine bark, coir and perlite.