Leaf mold from rotted leaves improves the condition of your soil in an environmentally friendly manner. Even just digging in the leaves will improve soil texture. Do not expect leaves to improve fertility they are low on nutrients.
As would be Compost Kings our articles on composting can be found by key word search in the box. To get a full view of the ‘gardening industry’ that is now ‘Composting’ you could also read up on some other web sites. Some web pages may only be fit for composting themselves but at least the web does not smell. Whatever you choose to do about composting, remember well rotted garden compost has been great food for many creatures and…
A cold composting process with the addition of crumpled paper and torn cardboard has been named High Fibre Composting. Promoted by the Centre for Alternative Technology the compost making process is simple as could be. Step by Step Cold Composting Add waste to the compost heap or plastic bin as and when it is available. Mix kitchen and garden waste with crumpled paper and torn cardboard. The ratio of waste doesn’t matter but avoid thick layers of any one material….
My winter pastime is to sort and dispose of some of my many gardening books. My collection has grown even more invasive than the worst weeds and it is time hoe them out. Charity shops will be beneficiaries as will our local gardening club but the recycling industry will get 500 or so books. I thought of composting but I will leave that to the landfill which still contains all those old telephone directories. Bearing in mind my local heritage…
Yorkshire has suffered an exceptionally wet autumn culminating in disastrous floods at Fishlake and around the river Don. One plant that will thrive in these wet northerly conditions is our old friend Moss. As this has been covered before I am just using this post to link you to other observations and tips about moss. Gardeners Tips Moss is Green and Environmentally Friendly or it can be! Moss in Your Lawn ? – You Are Not Alone Help Control Moss…
I have 3 good sized compost bins and the Metro district council supplies and takes away a brown bin each month (for an annual fee). However that is still not enough at this time of year and I can fill the car boot many times over to take thick hedge prunings and woody bits to the local recycling center. I need one of those – a big rolling compost smasher. It is used to tamp down the tipped compost so…
You can see photographs of my former compost bins in an old 2014 post I just updated the introduction as follows ‘5 years ago our council provided a brown bin for garden waste. Shortly after they introduced a charge to have the bin emptied. Larger branches, gnarled roots and diseased wood now goes in this bin’. Improved Bins for Better Compost Keeping the heat of decomposition within the pile speeds up my composting. A large bin helps me keep the…
This is a view of a corner in my Yorkshire garden that shows some recycling activity. I have tried various compost bin methods over the years. Initially I started with an open pile which was untidy and slow. At about this time I acquired a shredder which chopped up brown twiggy waste but only squelched leaves. I graduated to a wooden frame compost bin structure the remnants of which are showing next to the dustbin. This was fine particularly when…
Tips on what can be turned into Compost Type of Material Carbon/ Nitrogen/ Trace Tips Ashes from untreated, wood T Fine amounts at most. Can make the pile too alkaline and suppress composting. Bird & Chicken droppings N May contain weed seeds Cardboard C Shred into small pieces if you use it. Wetting it makes it easier to tear. Broad leaves C Shredding helps them break down faster. Decompose slowly have a separate pile for leaf mould. Can be acidic…
Once a regular weekend event, Garden Bonfires are now fewer and further between since recycling, reusing and composting got to the top of the green agenda. There are still occasions when a fire is the right way to go and I use one of these dustbin burners. The holes at the bottom provide air flow and the chimney restricts the amount of flying debris. I collect the none compostable (often diseased) wood and brash in the bin until I have…