Starting your compost bin step by step: location, first layer and first additions

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Have you just received your compost bin, or are you still wondering whether to give it a go? Good news: starting a compost heap requires no special skills and no miracle product. A few sound choices at the outset (the timing, the location, the first layer) and two simple habits are all it takes to give yourself the best chance of success.

Here, step by step, is how to get your garden compost bin going and what to expect in the first few weeks.

When to start: spring or autumn

You can start composting at any time of year, but we recommend choosing spring or autumn. These are the two seasons when the garden provides the most material: grass cuttings and the first prunings in spring, dead leaves and vegetable patch waste in autumn. Mild temperatures also allow micro-organisms to get to work quickly.

Starting in the depths of winter is still possible: decomposition will simply be very slow until the warmer days arrive. In the height of summer, keep a particular eye on moisture, as young compost dries out quickly.

Where to put it

The location matters more than the model of compost bin. Bear in mind a few simple rules to position it well:

• In partial shade: in full sun, the compost dries out; in deep, damp shade, it can become waterlogged.
• Directly on the soil, with no paving slab or sheeting underneath, so that excess water can drain away and earthworms and other small soil creatures can move up into it.
• On well-drained ground, avoiding hollows where water collects after rain.
• Sheltered from the wind, which dries out the surface.
• Accessible all year round, along a path you can use even in wet weather: a compost bin too far from the kitchen is a compost bin that gets neglected in winter.
• Not too far from a water source, so you can moisten it in summer.
• Away from the property boundary, as a simple courtesy to your neighbours.

Remember also to leave a little space around the bin so you can move about, turn the compost and, later on, harvest it with a wheelbarrow.

The bottom layer: twigs and shredded wood

Before adding kitchen waste for the first time, lay a layer of twigs, small cut branches or shredded wood at the bottom of the compost bin. Allow around 5 cm in a bin and 10 cm for an open compost heap. This coarse layer acts as drainage: it lets air circulate from underneath and stops the first waste, which is often wet, from compacting against the soil. The diagram shows the order of the layers: twigs at the bottom (1), a layer of brown material (2), kitchen waste (3) and a thin layer of brown to cover it (4).

If you have a little mature compost or good garden soil to hand, you can sprinkle one or two spadefuls over the top. It isn't essential, as micro-organisms are already present on your waste, but it can help things get started. We look at compost activators in a dedicated guide.

The first additions: alternate green and brown

The secret of compost that gets off to a good start is the mix. There are two kinds of material:

• “green” materials, moist and rich in nitrogen: peelings, fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, fresh grass cuttings;
• “brown” materials, dry and rich in carbon: dead leaves, twigs, straw, shredded wood, torn brown cardboard.

Aim for roughly half moist waste and half dry waste. In practice, each time you empty your kitchen caddy, add an equal volume of dry material on top, then mix it lightly into the layer below, to a depth of about twenty centimetres. Fresh waste covered in this way attracts fewer flies and doesn't smell. The details of this balance, and how to correct it, are explained in our guide Green and brown materials.

Remember also to cut or break up large pieces (cabbage stalks, thick stems, cardboard): the smaller the waste, the faster the micro-organisms break it down. For a list of what can go in the compost, see our guide What to put in your compost bin.

Key points

A bucket of green, a bucket of brown, a quick turn with the fork: that's the whole routine for compost that gets off to a good start.

Always keep a supply of dry material

The most common problem for beginners isn't too much waste, it's a lack of brown material just when you need it. Kitchen waste arrives all year round, whereas dead leaves only fall in autumn. The solution: build up a stock.

In autumn, fill a few large bags with dead leaves or keep a pile of shredded wood next to the compost bin. A hessian sack, an old bin with holes in it or a small wooden box will do the job perfectly, as long as the supply stays reasonably dry. In town, plain brown cardboard, egg boxes and kitchen roll tubes can help out.

The kitchen caddy

To avoid dashing out to the garden with every peeling, keep a small lidded container in the kitchen. A 6 to 9 litre kitchen caddy with a well-fitting lid suits most households. Our Urbalive 6L Compost Bin, for example, sits easily on a worktop.

Empty it as soon as it is full, and at least twice a week in summer, when scraps ferment more quickly. A layer of newspaper or kitchen roll at the bottom soaks up the liquid and composts along with everything else. Rinse the caddy with clean water from time to time.

Willy's tip

Pop a handful of dry leaves or torn cardboard into the bottom of the kitchen caddy: you then empty your green and a little brown in one go, and the caddy stays much cleaner.

The first few weeks: what to expect

During the first few days, not much happens that you can see. Then, after a few weeks, you will notice the volume going down: the waste settles and decomposes. If the starting volume is large, you may feel a slight warmth in the centre; in a small bin filled gradually, the temperature often stays close to that of the air, and that's normal.

You will also see residents arriving: woodlice, millipedes, small insects, then red worms. These are allies that break up and mix the material. Compost that smells of nothing, or smells like a woodland floor, is healthy compost. If it smells of rotten eggs or ammonia, it is short of air or brown material: add dry material and turn it.

About once a month, turn it more thoroughly, with a fork or with an aerator such as our Brass'Compost, and check the moisture: a squeezed handful of compost should release a few drops, without running. Our guide Moisture and aeration explains these steps in detail.

As for timing, be patient: four to five months in a bin is often quoted for ready-to-use compost, but we advise allowing more like four to nine months depending on the season and upkeep. If you don't have a garden, other methods exist: the wormery or bokashi, which ferments kitchen scraps before they go into a compost.

In summary

To get your compost bin off to a good start, place it in partial shade, directly on the soil, in an accessible, well-drained spot, ideally in spring or autumn. Lay a layer of twigs at the bottom, then alternate kitchen waste and dry material with each addition, mixing lightly. Keep a supply of brown material next to the bin and a lidded caddy in the kitchen. Then let time do its work: a few tasks each month and a few months of patience are all it takes.

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