Fish definitely presents a challenge for the keen composter. It’s something I’ve become well aware of, as when I am not gardening or composting I am often out fishing, either on the salt marshes by my house or on the small boat I have a half share in. I personally find fishing a great way …
Imagine having a simple kitchen bin in your kitchen. You throw your waste in it, and compost comes out the other side – without you having to do anything in between! Sounds too good to be true, right? Many electric composters have promised this but haven’t always lived up to the hype. These bins rightly …
The Dirt on Whether Electric Composters Are Worth It Read More »
So, you want to compost in your kitchen? The good news is that there are many different options for doing so! In fact, I face a daily choice of how to get rid of my kitchen waste – do I put in my compost bin, feed it to my worms or put it in the …
India, 2023. A small bin stands in a lab, filled with organic waste. But this is no ordinary compost bin. The compost is moving and shifting. Along the top crawl insects. Cockroaches. Welcome to the world of blatticomposting – a form of composting that could help deal with the mountain of organic waste countries like …
Cockroach Composting: Turning Trash into ‘Frass’ Read More »
Back in the 19th century, Albert Howard, considered one of the fathers of composting, was a big fan of adding lime to compost. In recent decades, though, the practice has been discouraged by many composters who see it as unnecessary. After all, lime is alkaline. While compost goes through some major pH swings, it usually …
Lime Increases Compost Speed and Maturity Finds Study Read More »
“The problem we found with our manure bin,” my colleague, Matt, said, “is a dark brown material liquid out of the holes and staining the floor.” We were discussing using homemade compost bins to heat polytunnels in winter. My colleague had successfully heated his polytunnel over the winter with manure and some garbage bin composters. …
Compost Leachate: Valuable Fertilizer or Potential Hazard? Read More »
Did you know that the US and EU each produce a whopping 1.4 billion tonnes of manure a year? * In short, that’s an extraordinary amount of organic material that, if used correctly, can enrich our soils and nourish our plants in extraordinary ways. There’s so much around that it’s often free (if you collect …
Have you ever noticed all the gardening tips that flood tabloids at the start of the gardening seasoning? You know the sort of thing – “This one tip will supercharge your plants says expert” and the like. One that made the rounds this year was the use of coffee grounds, with ‘experts’ advising us to …
The Garden’s Barista? Worms’ Impact On Coffee Grounds Read More »
Got a slow compost heap? Then you might well be on the lookout for a compost accelerator or activater. I get it – as a compost nerd, I’m always keen to speed up my own compost. As a result, I’ve spent years researching different ways to activate the compost and trying out (mostly free!) activators. …
Compost Activators: Do They Work? (Plus 6 Free Alternatives You Can Use) Read More »
Would you ever use fresh compost in the garden? One friend of mine did, and used to wax lyrical about the benefit of free municipal compost. “It’s still hot, James – it warms the soil in the spring!” Much as I loved him, he was completely wrong in this case! Fresh compost can be high …
Compost Maturity Matters: Why Fresh Isn’t Always Best Read More »