How Do I Compost in a Small Garden?
A small garden does not mean composting is impractical — it just means choosing the right system for the space and material available. The challenges of small-garden composting are real: there may not be room for a full-size compost bay, the volume of material produced may not be enough to fill a bin quickly, and the visual presence of a compost bin in a small garden needs consideration. There are several good solutions to all of these challenges.
Space-efficient composting systems
A single compact plastic bin (available cheaply from councils) takes up less than half a square metre and can process a useful amount of kitchen and garden waste from a small garden. A wormery can be housed in a corner, under a bench, or even in a shed or outbuilding. Bokashi buckets sit under the kitchen sink and take up no garden space at all. Hotbin composters are insulated units that fit into a small footprint and produce compost faster than cold composting systems. Any of these can work in a garden too small for a traditional bin or bay system.
Trench composting for small spaces
Trench composting requires no bin at all — simply dig a trench 30–45 cm deep in an empty vegetable bed, fill it with kitchen scraps and soft garden waste, cover with soil, and let it decompose in place over the following weeks. By the time you plant in that bed the following season, the material has largely decomposed and enriched the soil directly. This is an excellent approach for small gardens with more vegetable growing space than permanent composting space.