Digging & Dreaming

Getting Set For Winter

Those of you who read this blog regularly will know that I like compost. That I REALLY like compost. However, since I started my permaculture design course this summer I have started to have some new ideas on the most effective way to make compost on my allotment.

Traditionally we have made compost using an array of different bins and receptacles from the typical plastic "daleks" we bought from the council to the lovely wooden compost caddies that my partner in gardening crime created for me. However, this year I have started looking more towards surface composting when ever I can.

Surface composting means that you compost garden waste on the surface of the soil instead of moving it away to compost it somewhere else like a compost bin. Traditional allotment holders may think this looks messy but it is actually beneficial for a variety of different reasons. In summer it means that you are creating a good layer of mulch that will keep valuable moisture where you want and need it in the soil and around your precious plants. In winter this same mulch will protect the surface of the soil from heavy winter frosts which can really damage the soil structure. It will also  act as a layer of insulation over the colder months of the year meaning that the soil will stay warmer and warm up more quickly in spring, thus be ready for planting earlier in the season than it would have been without this natural layer of protection. It's also worth noting that in nature soil never stays uncovered for long - anyone who has gardened for any time will vouch for the fact that bare soil surfaces will soon cover themselves with weeds if left to their own devices! With this knowledge in mind you may also be glad to hear that the natural mulches that surface composting creates will also act as a great weed suppressant - especially if they are allowed to build up to a decent thickness over time.

The other major benefit of surface composting is the amount of time that it saves you in its creation. Instead of moving all your garden waste away to a compost bin just to move it back to the beds it has come from later in the year as compost you will just need to leave it pretty much where it has come from. Good news huh? Of course it's worth noting that rough plants such as brassica stalks or twigs will take a long time to compost so are best moved to a more traditional composting method.

So there you go, the allotment traditionalists may turn their noses up at your new methodologies but I hope that the improved productivity and health of your soil will be enough to convince them that surface composting is definitely the way forward.

Now It All Makes Perfect Sense

It was Bette Midler who said:

"My whole life has been spent waiting for an epiphany, a manifestation of God's presence, the kind of transcendent, magical experience that let's you see your place in the big picture. And that is what I had with my first compost heap."

As I was taking wonderful, fresh compost out of my compost bin in the garden this afternoon I have to admit that very similar thoughts crossed my own mind. Compost rocks! That's an indisputable fact and one of the things that I'm proudest of in our garden, and on the allotment, is the quality of the compost that we make. Of course, anyone can make half decent compost if they leave waste green materials long enough (and I'm not going to go into the mechanics of compost making here because there are already plenty of excellent places to find that information on the web)... But I'm pretty proud of the fact that our composting system is now so well honed on the allotment that we're able to turn garden waste into precious, dark, delicious compost in around 3 months! Impressive huh?

So what is it that makes me so crazy about compost? There are actually a couple of different motivations that I'd like to share with you here...

• Home made compost is pretty much the best thing going to feed plants and add condition and structure to your soil. It's actually so rich in nutrients that it needs to be diluted down with other soil if you want to use it as a potting compost for seeds and seedlings! That's pretty potent stuff made all the more amazing by the fact that if you leave garden waste to its own devices it will kind of make it itself.
• A compost bin is a great way of getting rid of food waste at home (as well as plant waste in the garden or on the allotment). 40% of food that people put into the rubbish could go straight into a compost bin and what's not to love about using leftovers and scraps to create nutritious , free food for you to use in the garden?
• Finally, without wishing to sound like I'm straying too far into hippy / good life territory, Bette isn't far wrong with her evaluation of the experience of making compost. I wouldn't say I'm quite so hardcore as to compare it to some kind of religious epiphany but the process of composting does highlight the maginficence of the processes that are occuring all the time in nature. I mean, how amazing is it to think of the cycle of plant matter that's no longer needed being composted to create a substance to feed plants that, when they grow, will in turn die back and become plant matter that's no longer needed that will be composted to create a substance to feed plants that, when they grow...? You can see what I'm getting at here can't you? And the best thing is that if we are able to appreciate and understand these processes, and our own part within them as growers and gardeners, we're able to create gardens and allotments that are as abundant and self supporting as nature itself.

And that, my friends, is why compost rocks!

Autumn in the Air

The last couple of mornings have felt really autumnal to me. Suddenly the air is a bit crisper and it takes that much longer for the sun to get going and warm things up. The allotment is starting to feel distinctly seasonal as well. This is great because it means we're heading right into the harvesting frenzy that September usually is, but it also means that it's time to start tidying up on the plot and begin packing things away for the winter.

That's certainly the idea that this big, fat toad had who I found all tucked up and cosy in one of our compost bins today. And seeing him there was a great reminder to me that now is the time of year when we can really do our bit to make the winter much easier for our wild friends. For example, it's good to have a tidy plot or garden but try and leave a couple of weedy corners so there's somewhere safe and untouched for little creatures to hide. It can also be a good idea to build a twig pile (it really is as simple as it sounds!) which is the perfect hiding place for all creatures great and small from frogs and toads to beetles and ladybirds.

The other thing to remember is that, if you do want to move compost heaps and wood piles around, now is the right time to do it. This because in the next couple of weeks wildlife will start looking for somewhere safe to hibernate and, if you move things around too late, you're almost sure to disturb any creatures who have found shelter on your plot. This may all sound like a bit of a fiddle just for the sake of a few bugs and beetles but remember, these little creatures are every veg grower's friend and the better care you take care of them over the winter months, the harder they'll be able to work for you next spring keeping pests at bay.

Adventures In Composting

Those of you who have followed this blog for a while will know already that I really love composting. In fact, I've got it down to such a fine art at the allotment that I can now make good compost in about three months which is good going by anyone's standards. As well as our compost bins we have a wormery in the garden for kitchen waste which allows us to get rid of green waste in a useful way closer to home. We also have a larger compost bin in the garden for garden waste. Although our local council does provide a brown bin we try and compost what we can ourselves as this is the most ecologically friendly way of doing it.

One thing we have always struggled with getting rid of though is any left overs that can not be eaten or anything fatty that can not go into the normal compost bin. It is for this reason that we have decided to try our hand at bokashi composting and invested in two bokashi compost bins to do it.

The bokashi concept originated in Japan. It’s accelerated composting using bokashi bran, wheat bran that has been inoculated with effective mirco-organisms (EMs), which act to anaerobically pickle your kitchen waste. There are no odours and the system doesn’t attract flies, so you can safely store your bokashi bin inside the home. And, when transferred to the garden, bokashi compost breaks down incredibly quickly and doesn’t attract vermin.

Apparently, all we need to do is add any plate scrapings, and food waste, including meat, fish and dairy products into our bokashi bin. Then we need to sprinkle over a handful of bokashi bran and fit the air tight lid to let the composting begin. Once full, the material needs to be left to ‘pickle’ for 2 weeks. Then, the contents of the bin can be added to our home compost heap, or mixed into the soil in your garden.

Another bonus of the bokashi bin is the juice that it produces. This rich liquid fertiliser can be drained off every couple of days and diluted with water to give plants a boost, or simply poured straight down the drain to prevent algae build-up and eliminate odours.

We've just got started with our first bokashi bin (we bought two so they can be used in rotation) so I'll keep you posted how we get on. And, if any of you out there have any experience of bokashi composting I'd love to hear your tips for success.