Compost is the engine of an organic garden — free fertiliser made from things most households throw away. In the warm Mauritian climate you have a huge advantage: compost that takes a year in Europe is ready here in 2–3 months.
The only recipe you need
Compost wants two ingredients in rough balance:
- Greens (nitrogen): kitchen peelings, fresh grass clippings, fresh manure, weeds before seeding
- Browns (carbon): dry leaves, dry grass, shredded cardboard, sugarcane straw, small twigs
Aim for roughly one part greens to two parts browns by volume. Too many greens and the pile turns smelly and slimy; too many browns and nothing happens.
Building the pile
- 1Choose a shaded corner — full Mauritian sun dries a pile out.
- 2Layer greens and browns like a lasagne, watering lightly as you go.
- 3Make it at least one cubic metre if you can; small piles struggle to heat up.
- 4Cover during cyclone-season downpours — a soaked pile goes anaerobic and stinks.
- 5Turn it every week or two if you want speed; or take the lazy road and just wait longer. Both work.
What not to compost
Meat, fish, dairy and oily food (rats), diseased plant material (bacterial wilt survives!), and weeds that have already set seed. Everything else from kitchen and garden goes in.
When is it ready?
Finished compost is dark, crumbly, and smells like forest floor after rain. You should not be able to recognise what went in. Sieve out the rough bits and throw them back into the next pile.
Using it
Spread 3–5cm on beds before each planting season and let the soil life pull it down — no digging needed. For potting mixes, sieve it fine and blend with cocopeat.