Another wet and rainy day and all I can think about is the compost heap (well may be not all). We all slip up, drop clangers and get it wrong so I thought I would list some of my own errors or lash-ups.

Gardening is like that so I try not to beat myself up when things go wrong. There is always another season and a worse clanger elsewhere.

Soggy Compost

• An over wet compost heap will smell something rotten, really stink and I mean badly.
• Nutrients will be washed out at the bottom of the heap and lost.
• The composting process will be slowed almost to a stop.
• I wish I had covered my heap before all this heavy rain.
• Good compost needs air so it may help to turn the wet heap.
• Belatedly I have been putting some torn up newspaper in the heap as roughage and to soak up some excess fluids.
• Because this time I have built the heap on soil I can reclaim some of the goodness by taking a level of soil when I spread the compost.

Construction Issues

• In the past I have relied on a heap with no sides just a pile. This flattens out and spreads without ever getting to a good heat except perhaps in the center
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It is no surprise that damaged fruit rots fastest. So it is with your compost. Cut or bruise the green stuff to make quick and friable brown stuff.

• Shred twigs and stalks

• Chop up any hard stems or long shoots with secateurs to about one inch lengths.

• Leaves and other plant matter will rot quicker if the bugs and bacteria can get at them from more than just one end. So the more cutting, bruising, shredding, tearing, scrunching or chopping the better.

A favorite annual is the Marigold or Tagetes. Bold colours in Yellows, Oranges, Lemons Reds and Creams are a feature of these plants that flower from July to the first frost. Despite the names they all originate from Mexico.

• Easily grown from seed these plants flower quickly and can be sown in situ
• The ‘French’ varieties tend to be smaller flowers in clusters on bushy plants
• ‘Honeycomb’ and ‘Safari Tangerine’ have the award of garden merit
• Africans are larger and showy
• Some African varieties can grow up to 5 feet tall but have fewer poorer flowers although the finely cut leaves are still attractive. For a medium to tall selection try ‘Crackerjack’
• Marigold leaves keep white fly away from greenhouse tomatoes and I grow a few plants for that purpose. The roots are also reputed to kill or inhibit some weeds
• These plants are not to be confused with Pot Marigolds called Calendula

A compost heap is an excellent way of recycling dead plant material and generating the best possible soil fertiliser. A good compost heap also gives a feeling of satisfaction because it helps the gardener to become part of the natural cycle of growth, decay and regeneration. Using a compost heap will also save many unnecessary trips to the local tip. These are some of the various aspects to good composting

The Compost Bin A compost bin should be about 1 square metre. It is important to have a good size, but, it should also be compact because otherwise the generated heat will be dissipated. It is also best to have at least two bins. This enables one heap to rot down, whilst the other is added to. A compost heap should also be aerated and enable water to enter. If you have an enclosed plastic bin, make sure you water where necessary.

Positioning. A compost heap can be really be put anywhere; most people want to choose a spot that is not too prominent. However, if it receives direct sunlight the process of decomposition will be faster.

Base Layer. At the bottom of a compost heap it is good to use some twiggy material to make sure there is good drainage; if you have a heavy clay soil, you might want to add some grit to provide good drainage. If a compost heap becomes waterlogged, the process of decomposition will slow down and it will become slimy.

Mixing Layers. The next important strategy is to provide a good mix of material when building up a compost heap. For example, grass is a high source of nitrogen and can break down quickly to generate heat. However, grass needs to be mixed with other more woody material, otherwise it will not rot down properly. Similarly on their own stems and twigs will take a long time to rot down unless they have an activator like grass or over very green material. When adding grass clippings spread them out to form a thin, equal layer; then add a layer of more twiggy material. If necessary store a potential layer for adding at the right time.

Breaking Up Twiggy Material. Thick stems will take a long time to break down. If you have a shredder, it will make the job of composting a lot more successful. It will break down the material and enable much faster composting. If you don’t have a shredder, you can just squash the stems or break them in a few places. A rather crude, but effective, tip is to get a spade and hit down on the top of the heap to break a few stems. Even this small step will help quite a lot; what you are doing is to increase the surface area, enabling faster decomposition.

Water. As mentioned before, water is important. It is important to water a compost heap a bit like watering a plant. If there is no water, the compost heap will dry out and will not decompose. If it is waterlogged it will stagnate. Most compost heaps suffer from being dry, so every now and then throw on some water to speed up the process of decomposition.

Cover. When the compost heap is finished with adequate amounts of water, it is good to cover with a plastic coating. This enable the heap to generate more heat, speeding up the process of decomposition; it also prevents excess water.

Aerate. In hot weather when a compost heap is generating a lot of heat it is a good idea to get a garden cane and poke the heap, every now and then. This allows air to enter and expedites the process of aerobic decomposition. A good heap will have steam coming from it when you aerate it.
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Readers Question: Is it OK to Compost Moss?

I have just been raking alot of moss from my lawn. It’s surprising how much moss I was able to rake off and naturally I would like to compost it.

Like any organic matter, moss will compost down and make great compost over time. The trick, as with any composting is to mix it with other materials, such as grass clippings and woodier plant stems. If mixed together the moss should compost down in 6-12 months, depending on how well watered and aerated the compost heap is.

Other uses for moss include lining the inside of hanging baskets. These days, artificial linings are used, but, moss has many properties which make it excellent for lining an hanging basket

Grow your own Rhubarb as it is easy to cultivate and gives a large crop of tender pink stalks. Victoria, Timperley Early, Stocksbridge Arrow, and Champagne are some of the best varieties but there are lots to choose from at your garden centre or cadge a crown from neighbours.

The crown of the plant is the top of the root system where the stalks shoot from. Under the crown will be a thick root or rhisome with finer hairs to take up the nutrients from the soil. Because it produces a large crop it needs feeding with good compost or farmyard manure when planted and then as a mulch everyspring and autumn.

Grow Rhubarb without fuss

• One or two plants will produce ‘fruit’ for many pies and crumbles about 5 lbs per plant- water the plants in dry conditions and pick after the first full season has been allowed to put enegry into the root system.
• Every 5 years or when the plant becomes unproductive lift and split the root with a budded crown on each piece and replant
• Rhubarb likes slightly acid soil but tolerates most soil with good drainage and a high humous content
• Do not let the plants flower or energy will not go into stalk production. Cut flowers off as soon as possible.
• Rhubarb is tough and likes a frost to encourage growth
• Thin tender pink stalks can be forced early by placing a pot or barrel over the plant
• Do not eat the leaves they contain Oxalic acid.

Organic Rhubarb

• However the leaves can be composted as the acid breaks down
• Grow rhubarb organically as chemicals may react to the leaves.
• There aren’t many predators until the slugs come as the leaves decompose

The objective of a Stumpery is to create a garden feature from ferns, logs and old tree roots. The Victorians started a trend to build Rooteries, Ferneries and Stumperies as romantic woodland places to grow exotic ferns and woodland plants. If you have a dark corner or want to collect ferns then you could start your own Stumpery quite easily and add to it as the fancy takes you.

Construction

• Old trees are the basic raw material.
• Up rooted tree stumps like those after a big storm or pulled out by chains form a great base
• Gnarled and twisted shapes work well to create form and shape
• just cutting trees down to stumps can be enough in a small garden
• If you live in or near the countryside finding logs and tree stumps should be relatively easy.
• In a suburban gardens a few pieces of trunk from felled sycamore can form the basis for a mini-stumpery.
• Drift wood old branches or any wood artfully arranged can also be used
• Bark chippings can unite the feel for the area

Planting Up with some Ferns to Try

• Mosses and lichen can be encouraged by painting uncovered surfaces with yoghurt
• Ferns should be planted in spaces between stumps and roots. They like dark places without fertiliser but some leaf mold can be added to the soil.
• Chose a variety of ferns for shape, size and colour.

1. Matteuccia Ostrich feather fern upto 3 feet
2. Dyopterarias erythrosora has elegant fronds that emerge bright orange and change to lime-green as they age.
3. Harts Tongue fern Phylitis has a smoother leaf and sword shape
4. Athyriums like the Japanese painted fern (niponicum pictum,) and Lady fern are smaller but can  light up very dark places.
5. Adiantum pedatum is a small maidenhair fern with a fragile appearance but a hardy nature. It has a running rootstock that quickly makes a respectable clump.

• Snowdrops, celandines,primroses and foxgloves may grow well in semi shaded areas or on the edge of the Stumpery.
• If planting Bluebells make sure they are the native kind not the hybrid or Spanish variety

More information on Ferns is available on http://www.ferns.com/

This is not to be confused with your own garden compost made from decomposed plant matter. Commercial compost is the range of products sold in plastic wrapping in garden centres, DIY shops and sundry retailers. The contents of these types of compost vary and can affect the growing result considerably. All have a base which has no or negligible nutritional value plus additives that make it useful for a specific purpose.

Typical Compost Constituents - Base

• Peat base of small fibers of bog peat is excellent for many purposes but now seen as none ecofriendly due to the over extraction of peat and lack of replenishment of the resource which isn’t sustainable.
• Coir as a peat substitute for the base. Coir is made from the hairs & fibers of coconuts and such compost are widely available. There are special compost products approved by the vegan society from http://www.fertilefibre.com/vegan-approved.html
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Tips on what can be turned into Compost

• Add a thin layer of garden soil to your heap to help activation.
• You can add a proprietary activator like Garrotta if you wish.
• Have more nitrogen base items than carbon to help rotting
• Use the following table as a guide

Hot compost heaps are just that, hot, they can be so hot you can’t keep your hand in (though why you should want to put your hand in the middle of a compost heap I am not sure). The heat is generated by the decomposition process helped by all the biological activity. Microbes, worms and insects need food, air and water to generate this activity. They feed on the plant matter or one another so that takes care of food. Much garden refuse contains enough water but if the compost is dry or the weather dries the compost out then some extra water can be added.

Turning The Heap

• To get air into the compost as it rots down the heap needs to be turned after an initial decomposition period say 8-10 weeks
• Special ‘Tumbler compost makers’ and spinners are now available so that compost can be turned within a plastic drum. You turn the drum daily or weekly to aerate the rotting compost. This speeds up the composting process significantly.
• Turning the compost stops the top forming a crust that fails to rot
• The compost should be turned so that any compost at the sides or back is brought into the middle so decomposition is even and homogenious
• Turning the compost gives a chance for excess water to be redistributed so the heap doesn’t smell
• If the heap is large turning the top two thirds on to a separate pile may leave one third compost ready to use.
• Compost compacts and reduces in size by at least a third as it rots. Without turning it can be more compacted than your own soil.