Fish guts and remains can present a challenge for the amateur composter. It’s something I’ve become well aware of, as when I am not gardening or composting I am often fishing. It’s a great way to provide protein to go with the veg from the garden – and it’s far less damaging to the environment […]
How to Compost Fish: No Smell, 3 Simple Steps Read More »
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 »
Every year, a staggering 60% of household waste comes from food scraps—reaching over 600 million tonnes globally. It doesn’t need to be this way. Instead of sending this waste to landfill, where it generates methane emissions, you can turn it into valuable, nutrient-rich compost right in your kitchen. From worm composting to Bokashi bins, this
Easy Kitchen Composting: How to Turn Scraps Into Plants Read More »
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
Does Lime Really Speed Up Compost? 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
Manure v. Compost: Learn the Difference! Read More »
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 »