Tips for getting the most from your compost

Composting improves the texture and fertility of almost any soil, and is a must-have for any gardener. Here are some tips on how to get the most from your compost.

• Composting can be done in a pile, in a homemade bin or in a commercial container.
• A pile is probably the least satisfactory. It's hard to keep it tidy and is slow to decompose since it loses a lot of heat and moisture through the open sides.
• Compost needs to be turned at least once to ensure that the outside decomposes.
• There are also compost makers like small cement mixers, which tumble the contents and produce the finished produce in a matter of weeks.

• Commercial composts, while expensive initially, are efficient and long lasting. If you have a small townhouse garden or apartment balcony, it may be your best bet.
• Commercial compost is often subsidized by municipalities to encourage composting and reduce the amount going into landfill.

• If, when you dig down below the surface layer, you discover a dark-brown to black, sweet-smelling material that resembles soil, the compost is ready for use.
• The time needed to make usable compost varies with the climate. In warm regions, it could be as quickly as three months. In colder regions, a full year may be needed.

Your compost bin will have a mixture of healthy compost and material that's not quite ready. Here's how to get the usable compost:

1. Lift off the top undecomposed layer with a garden fork and set it to one side. This layer will be about 15 centimetres (six inches) deep and makes the base for the next pile.
2. As you shovel out the compost, separate out any undecomposed woody material that you find. Add it to the top layer for further time in the composter.
3. The best way to remove the finished compost is to slice it downward. That way, you get material from every level mixed together. This evens out different nutritional levels in the compost.

• In a commercial container with sliding panels, it's possible to take small amounts from the base when you need them.
• With a large pile or container, the most convenient time to use the compost is usually in the fall.
• Use compost when the garden is being cleaned up, vegetable beds are being dug ready for the coming spring, and the compost can be dug in where needed.
• Compost can be used as a mulch around trees and shrubs, or spread between perennials.

Making compost is simple, the labour is minimal, and, providing you follow certain guidelines, there's no smell. With these tips, you could have a healthier garden that makes full use of the nutrients that compost can provide.