Composting is a cheap and hygienic way of converting waste into a clean-smelling substance that will improve the soil and make any garden flourish. A good size for the compost heap or trench dug into the ground is 2 m by 2 m, depending on the amount of compost you want to make. Mix the organic material well and chop up any big pieces - do not add layers of only one material, such as grass cuttings or leaves to the compost heap. Start by putting down about 200 mm of mixed organic material. This might be a bucketful of mature compost, animal manure, or bone meal.
Commercial starters are available at nurseries and garden shops.
You can also add soil to the growing heap as the many organisms that it contains will multiply and help the rotting process. Earthworms in particular are valuable members of the compost heap community. They eat plant material and produce worm castes that are very rich in nutrients. They also help to mix the compost ingredients and put air into the heap thereby speeding up the process of decay. Continue building the heap in layers of about 200 mm.