I spend a fair amount of time and effort making compost for the allotment. I,m pretty much the only person on our site that does this but I came to the conclusion a while ago that there is nothing better for keeping your soil healthy.
I try and make a bin full at a time. It will decompose faster and generate more heat if you do it this way. The key to making good compost is to layer and alternate your ingredients. I layer carbon and nitrogen rich materials in turn and put some alfalfa straw inbetween each layer. I use green materials off my allotment plus any veg that I cant`t use anymore, eg, swede that has gone woody, bolted leeks and onions, grass and comfrey. For the carbon, I use leaves and shredded paper (The Jehovah`s Witness Watchtower magazine makes great shreddings;-)
I make 6" layers of each type and put a handful of alfalfa inbetween. I use a product called Alfa-A which is basically a horse feed. It contains pure alfalfa which is dried and a small amount of molasses added. The molasses is a great addition because it`s a natural sugar which the bacteria love.
Within a week of a full bin being made, it will have sunk by 2 thirds. I will then fill the bin back up another couple of times before I leave it. The alfalfa generates some heat because it has a fairly hign nitrogen content and this helps the decomposition process.
Then it`s a process of turning out the bin after about 8 weeks into an empty bin. This helps to introduce air into the mix and speed up the process. During the spring and summer I can make good compost in around 4 months. I tend to use it as a top dressing in spring. It`s great for "waking up" the soil after the winter.
Analysis results below. This stuff is so rich I wouldnt put a seed anywhere near it but as a dressing, the numbers look amazing.
http://www.dengie.com/pages/products/alfa-a-and-hi-fi-ranges/alfa-a-original.php
