After months or even years, your homemade compost is ready. It’s matured, darkened and gained a fresh earthy smell. Now it’s time to use it – and what a lot of uses there are for it! In fact, the many uses of compost all around the garden mean that even the keenest of gardeners usually […]
How to Use Compost For Maximum Effect Read More »
One of the primary excuses people give when it comes for not composting is the pesky pest known as the fruit fly. If you have ever experienced fruit flies in your kitchen, you know just how frustrating these tiny little insects can be. It is no wonder then that many people are opposed to kitchen
8 Easy Strategies to Keep Fruit Flies Away from Your Compost Bin Read More »
Have you ever bought live pot herbs from the store? Usually they look great, but after a week or two they start getting problems. First the plant droops, then the leaves turn yellow, and then the plant dies. I used to think that this was just because they were forced. But then I learnt that
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My local council has a free compost scheme. The food and garden waste collected from households is turned into huge quantities of compost. A portion of this is taken to one collection point, and anyone can come and help themselves. When you arrive at the collection point, the compost is often still hot. Steam rises
5 Reasons to Let Your Compost Mature for Longer Read More »
Manure may smell, but as a source of fertility for your soil, it’s hard to beat. It’s also one of the best compost materials you can use. Despite that, there are problems with manure that you need to be aware of. You’ll also find that different animal manures have different properties, and need to be
Using Manure in Compost: How to Turn S**t Into Black Gold Read More »
If you think there’s only one or two types of composting, you might be in for a surprise. There’s actually dozens of ways you can turn organic waste into a soil amendment so valuable it’s called ‘black gold’. Each composting method has its pros and cons – and its fans and detractors! In reality, most
17 Composting Methods – Plus How to Choose the Best One For Your Garden and Your Needs Read More »
Compost has its very own week, organised and held every year by the Compost Research and Education Foundation – aka CREF. We sat down with the Ginny Black, Trustee Chair of CREF, to find out more. Can you tell me a little bit about the Foundation and its goals? The mission of CREF is to
International Compost Awareness Week: An Interview with Compost Foundation Read More »
In a hurry? For woody prunings and branches, the Patriot CSV-2515 handles 2.5-inch material – rare for an electric shredder. Composting mainly leaves? The WORX WG430 is compact, affordable, and purpose-built for the job. If you’re anything like me and you’ve spent years tinkering with compost piles, you’ll know woody material is the ultimate hurdle.
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Composting is a fascinating but complex process that involves chemical reactions, bacteria, fungi and multiple organisms. To be clear, you don’t need to understand the science of compost to be able to make compost! You may find, however, that an appreciation of the subtleties does make you a better composter. What is composting? There’s no
The Science of Composting: How Compost Happens Read More »
Hair. Dead chickens. Fish. I’ve composted them all. In fact, if your pile or bin maintains a temperature of at least 130-160°F (55-70°C), you can compost almost anything that’s recently been alive. Even if it’s not hot, you might be surprised at the number of things you can turn into compost. From garden waste to
What You Can Compost: From Everyday Items To The Bizarre… Read More »