GARDENING - COMPOSTING

COMPOSTING WHY?

As you could probably tell I am not exactly a tree hugger wringing my hands in angst over the environment. However the very nature of gardening requires you to create an opportunity for plants to thrive, which means taking care of the environment in which your little babies can thrive. In a wider sense it also means we, as a community have to care for the places we live, using precious resources to there fullest and not squandering them and saving a bob or two in the process. One of the best ways of recycling in the garden is composting. Most gardeners recognise this and in many a dark corner of a beautiful garden lies a rotting pile of weeds, lawn clippings and spent plants from the garden, slowly turning itself into a wonderful plant food which enriches the soil and future generations of plants.

As you look out onto your garden in summer and see swathes of colour spread out along the front of the border, bursts of colour layering back towards the soaring fountains of delphiniums you know that the plants have had everything they needed to put on a spectacular display. All they needed was the right soil conditions, light, water, food and they reward you with the satisfaction of a job well done. If you haven’t got a compost heap or the one you have doesn’t seem to produce the goods quickly enough do not despair. I have the knowledge and the technology to help. Question, why bother composting at all? There are several reasons to compost, each would be a good reason in itself. The first is you, or should I say your plants get a free lunch, so it saves you some money. Two it saves precious time when tidying the garden. How? Came the cry from the masses. Simple when you have piles of  plant materials from a major clean up, trying to get it all in refuse sacks can be a pain, one thorn always rips the bag near the bottom spilling the contents all over  the path or conveniently waits until 3 yards from the bin before regurgitating the putrid mess on the floor. The council takes ages to remove your now rotting bags, so off to the tip you go, the car smells like a farmyard, you have used half a gallon of juice, then an hours wait to get into the tip, the council guys won’t let you use the recycling area, so its into the big shed slipping and sliding on the compressed garbage, the bag that didn’t split when taking it to the bin now empties its contents in the boot of your car, ahh such pleasant aromas. On a more serious note your garden and kitchen waste going to landfill causes a more serious problem. Ahhh the sweet smell of methane a wonderful by product of rotting organic material. Fine if the landfill vents the gas and uses it for power production but if it is just left to vent into the atmosphere it is a major greenhouse gas, far more potent than CO2. So there are a few reasons why we should compost the question is I here you cry, how do we compost? Basically all organic things just want to rot down when they die, that is what they do, it’s what you would do if you expired, so first thing you don’t need a magic wand, money, friends in high places or any particular skill. A pile of organic matter left to its own devices will rot, the trick is to get it to rot quickly and produce a fine food for your pride and joy. Space is your first consideration, if you have a large garden you are likely to need a large compost heap, which can be hidden behind a large shrub out of sight and out of mind it is not a serious problem to find a space. In a small garden you may think there is a problem, an unsightly mess rotting away under your very nose. But wait there is A SOLUTION. A compost bin, if there is room for a spare dustbin there is room for a compost bin, they can be bought from any of the large DIY stores, garden centres and even the council are selling them (bless their little cotton socks). The only thing you have to think about with a compost bin, as bitter experience has taught me is to buy a bin with a door at the base to allow access to the compost at the bottom of the pile. Two reasons for this one it allows you to turn over the compost, by taking it out of the bottom and layering it on the top of the heap it adds air to the mixture which aids decomposition and secondly when the compost is ready all you have to do is dig it out and put it on the garden the upper layers then move down the bin and allow more material to be placed on top, a bit like a production line.