Making Compost – How To Turn a Compost Heap

Posted on 09. Sep, 2009 by Tracey in Making Compost

If you find yourself with a bit of spare time towards the end of Summer, its a good time to get those jobs done that always seem to fall to the bottom of the list (like weeding) or turning your compost heaps or bins.

With the design of a compost box, heap or bin, all your lovely compost actually forms at the bottom of the pile, therefore the whole pile needs turning out onto a sheet or similar to extract the lovely crumbly earthy goodness that is your compost and shovel the rest back in to do its magic!

Its worth noting if you have a compost bin with a bottom sliding door, you may not need to turn out your entire bin. Collect you compost from the door and use a compost turning tool to mix the compost inside the bin.

How To Turn a Compost Heap or Bin

What you will need:

A Garden Fork,
A Garden Spade or Shovel,
A big plastic sheet, tarpaulin or even bare soil or an area you don’t want to be damaged by tipping compost onto it,
A Sieve
A spare bin or bag to put the new compost in.
Some strong garden gloves.

Instructions:

Turning a Compost Heap/Wooden Box

Wooden Composter

Put on your gloves and lay out the sheet or tarpaulin next to the compost bin, box or heap,
Use the garden fork or spade to spoon out your compost onto the sheet or tarpaulin,
Your compost will be at the bottom of your heap or box, collect it in a bin or bag for later use,
Your compost may need sieving if it is too lumpy,
Use the shovel to put all the non broken down compost back into the heap or box,
Put the cover back on the compost box or heap to keep off the rain.

Turning a Plastic Compost Bin

Dalek Style Plastic Bins

Put your gloves on, open the compost bin lid, tip the bin on its side and then upside down onto the tarpaulin or sheet,
Your lovely compost will now be on top of the pile for you to collect with a shovel in a bag or bin for later use,
If your compost is quite lumpy, you may need to sieve it to your required size,
With the compost bin on its side, shovel the rest of the non-broken down compost back into the bin,
Carefully tip the compost bin back upright and close the lid.

Buying a Cheap Compost Bin
To find a cheap compost bin or wormery from a UK council near you, type in your postcode on the Recycle Now website to find bargain offers from £15 in your area.

Other Compost Related Posts you may be interested in:

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