4 Easy Composting Methods to Transform Waste into Rich Mulch & Potting Mix | No Dig Gardening Tips скачать в хорошем качестве

4 Easy Composting Methods to Transform Waste into Rich Mulch & Potting Mix | No Dig Gardening Tips

It's midsummer here at Homeacres, and I want to show you four simple ways I make compost — for potting, for mulching, and for feeding a thriving no dig garden. These methods include: A wormery for high-quality potting compost. Dalek-style bins, ideal for smaller spaces. A basic pallet heap, which anyone can build with minimal cost. Large compost bays for managing higher volumes. The key principle across all these methods is a proportionate mix of green and brown material: 🌱 Roughly two-thirds to three-quarters green, like vegetable waste or grass mowings, 🌾 To one-quarter to one-third brown, such as woody stems, cardboard, straw, or semi-rotted woodchip. Most compost is ready within six months, though it can be used earlier or later depending on your needs. It does not need to get hot to work—heat can help with weed seeds, but good compost can be made slowly and at ambient temperature. At Homeacres, I garden half an acre (2000m²) and can make around 60% of the compost I need for two annual crop cycles, simply by following these methods and using what’s available. ✅ Compost is rich in nutrients that do not leach, even when applied before winter. I mulch mostly by December, and the nutrients feed crops deeply—just look at the abundant growth well into the next season. 🌿 No dig gardening depends on the quality of compost, and that quality is entirely within your reach. Everything goes in — rhubarb leaves, lemon peel, bindweed roots, even blighted tomato leaves. It all breaks down in time and becomes beautiful compost. 📚 Learn more in my book "Compost", published by Dorling Kindersley in September 2024, where I explain how composting is simple when you understand the principles behind it—not rules, but reasons - https://shop.charlesdowding.co.uk/pro... 🎥 Filmed by Carly Dutton-Edwards on 20th June 2025 at Homeacres, Somerset, UK. 00:00 Introduction 00:22 On-ground wormery 01:48 Finished worm compost for potting mix 03:18 Compost in Dalek bins, how to add ingredients 04:41 Using a compost aerator tool 05:46 Adding ingredients, green and brown 07:27 Second Dalek bin with mature compost 08:51 Heat for compost heaps, not essential 09:25 Veg beds - lettuce, celeriac, sweet potatoes with fleece over, peas (Tall Sugar) 10:35 Chopping allium seed heads into a heap 11:10 Adding wood chip to the heap, a brown, and more green 11:55 How to make a pallet heap, lining with cardboard 12:57 When is a heap full 13:40 Finished compost in end bay, keeping covered 14:55 Moisture in a heap, usually no need to water 15:40 Turning a heap 16:00 Finished compost in middle bay 17:40 My compost book 18:06 Larger compost bays, compost made previous winter 19:37 Worms in a heap, no need to add 20:20 Current heap of 7-bay system 21:12 What I add to my heaps, including diseased leaves 22:04 Temperature of heaps, adding brown to moderate heat 23:51 Examples of greens and browns 24:21 Turning, 7-bay system 25:37 Length of time for compost to be ready to use 25:55 Nutrients in compost - lettuce and leek seedlings in module trays #compost #nodig #charlesdowding #gardeningtips #soilhealth #wormcompost #mulch