It is becoming more and more obvious these days that
we need to recycle as much as we can, and anyone
with a garden has a head start and can make a great
contribution. To many novice gardeners, including
myself, this subject can be somewhat difficult to grasp;
but in fact it is really straightforward - there are just a few
very simple rules:

You need a compost bin, and the type you decide on
rather depends on the size of your garden, but there are
a couple of options:

A purpose built plastic bin purchased from a garden
centre, not too expensive; and you just fill up from the
top and a few months later, you can take compost from
a small hatch at the base.

Alternatively, if you can wield a saw and some nails, you
can make a wooden slatted enclosure, one metre
square - or you can buy them ready made - and cover it
with a piece of old carpet to keep the worst of the
weather off.

What you can compost:

- all uncooked vegetable and fruit peelings
- teabags, tea leaves and coffee grounds
- egg shells
- dead flowers from the house
- and from the garden, soft prunings
- spent bedding plants, dead leaves, lawn mowings
- spent compost from hanging baskets or containers
- some dryer materials such as shredded pape
- rabbit and guinea pig bedding.

The only thing you have to be careful about is to mix
different types of material; if you have too many grass
clippings in a big mass, they will turn soggy and slimy,
or if there is too much paper and prunings, it will be too
dry. So keep an eye on it, especially if you are using the
wooden enclosure, and mix it with a fork occasionally.

What NOT to compost:

- all meat products and bones; bread, cooked food -
these will attract vermin
- dog or cat waste
- woody material - which takes too long to compost
- weeds - these can 'infect' your compost with their
seeds
- anything that is non-biodegradable.

And because you won't always feel like taking a trip to
the compost heap when it's wet or cold or every time
you peel vegetables why not keep a lidded container by
the back door which you can fill up and then make the
trip to the compost bin every one or two days?

Over a period of time - 3 months to 1 year, depending
on conditions - all this matter will have broken down into
lovely dark brown crumbly compost, which you can fork
into your beds and borders. It makes an excellent soil
conditioner and can be used as surface mulch, helping
conserve moisture and discourage weeds.

You can also convert fallen leaves into wonderful
compost. Rake up any leaves from your lawn - you may
have to do this several times over the autumn - and
collect them from the borders. Put them all into a black
waste sack, sprinkle with water, put a few holes around
the sack with a fork, tie the top, and leave it in a corner
for about a year. What you end up with is known as leaf-
mould.