JOB OF THE WEEK
Recycle, save money and improve your soil by making your own ‘black gold’ at home
If you haven’t already got one, or just fancy another, now’s the perfect time to start a compost heap and transform all that kitchen and garden waste into nutritious organic matter.Not only it is saving you money, it’s also saving the planet by reducing the need to buy plastic bags of commercial compost.
Short on space? There are compost bin options to suit all budgets and spaces, from DIY recycled wooden frames to free-standing bins.
Soil is a complex ecosystem of living and dead organisms, minerals, liquids and gases which supports life and is vital to our existence, but homemade heaps need a helping hand. They require an equal mix of carbon and nitrogen, balanced with air, water and heat. For the perfect recipe, alternate brown waste from cardboard, newspaper and shredded twigs with green waste such as grass cuttings, fruit, vegetables and foliage, but avoid meat, fish, perennial weeds and diseased plants.
Brandling worms and leopard slugs are great decomposers and break down chunky compostable matter. A liquid compost activator will also help kick start the process. Keep the heap moist and add water during droughts. Cover compost bins with a lid or carpet to speed up the decomposing process and turn the heap regularly to aerate it.
Apply well-rotted homemade compost as a mulch straight on borders when it’s brown and crumbly to replenish nutrition and improve soil structure.
STEP BY STEP
