Preamble: If you use compost you will not need to use any fertilisers on your garden. There are a large range of various compost devices available but certain basic principles need to be employed and the bins must be able to comply.

• The bin must be placed in a sunny spot to speed up the process. It mist sit on warm soil.
  
  
• Air must be able to circulate around and up through the compost.
  
  
• The very first layer should be all coarse material as this will allow air to circulate from the bottom.
  
  
• The material should be spread in a series of layers and either should contain a mixture of different materials or alternate layers with good stuff and poor stuff – for example sprinkle grass clippings as one layer and kitchen scraps as another. Then finish off with some moisture in the form of water or liquid kitchen waste.
  
  
• All material should be chopped as fine as possible for no other reason than larger items will take longer to compost. Maximum thickness should be no more than the 10mm in diameter of the thickness of the small finger of your hand.
  
  
• After each layer is put down sprinkle with soil and either wood ash or garden lime – this keeps the soil sweet and keeps bad microbes out and stops any smell.
  
  
• Use worms but they must be red worms as earth worms live deep in the soil.
  
  
• If using worms you cannot use a lot of lawn clippings as the heat will kill them.
  
  
• Every few weeks turn over the top layer and mix it in.
  
  
• If you are composting weeds make sure they do not have seed heads on them because if the seeds do not compost then they will be spread on your garden.

General notes: Any material that comes from a plant or an animal can be composted. If you want to compost a lot of weeds a good idea is to pre-compost them first – put them in a large plastic bag and add a few cups of water, seal the bag and leave in the same for a couple of weeks then layer into the compost bin.

Once the compost bin is full, start using the empty bin - keep turning the top layer of the full bin.

You will know when it is ready firstly by the look and feel of it and secondly by the fact it has absolutely no odour. When using the compost return any worms to the new mixture. It is also a good idea to keep some of the composted material aside to sprinkle on the layers of the new bin you are starting.

A quick way to remember the basics of composting is the word DAM:
D – use a DIVIRSITY of material and mix it up and layer it.
A – make sure there is plenty of AIR around and under the mixture
M – Make sure the compost is kept MOIST

Liquid Fertiliser: It is very easy to make your own liquid fertiliser but be warned it will smell.

You will need a large rubbish bin size container with a tight fitting lid.

Fill around one third full with material – preferably weeds, add four or five handfuls of compost then fill up with water and stir. Leave for six weeks then use it on the garden.