One Planet News: Greening up your garden

Adding a sustainable approach to gardening by composting

Dec 04, 2024

by Annette J Beveridge

SUSTAINABILITY may be something of a buzz word but it is a good idea to bring a sustainable approach to your garden too.

One great way to be sustainable and enrich the garden at the same time is to create and use homemade compost. Make the most of your garden waste or food waste and you will find it cheaper than continuously buying bags of compost.

Composting is easy.

There is a variety of waste items that can be added to a compost bin.

This includes:

Fading flowers
Hedge trimmings
Grass cuttings
Weeds
Plant-based kitchen waste

You can also add:

Shredded woody prunings
Leafy debris
Vegetable peelings
Coffee grounds
Coffee filters
Hay and straw
Egg shells
Cardboard tubes and shredded paper.

Compost bins

There are many compost bins available and will be suitable for large or small gardens. Once you have made your selection, choose a sheltered shady spot for the bin and place it directly onto the soil where possible.

Remember to turn the compost occasionally but take care when doing so as there may be toads, or slowworms in the compost.

Benefits

Peat compost has often been favoured by gardeners however, shop-bought compost, or homemade compost works well.

Peat needs to remain in the ground. It is a crucial carbon sink and when disturbed releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

If buying compost, always check the labels first.

Homemade compost has many benefits. Waste is turned into a mass of nutrients perfect for feeding the soil, and mulching, and can be used for the potting up of plants.

I use the ‘no dig’ method in the garden because it retains the structure of the soil. A no-dig approach also prevents carbon dioxide from being released so is better for the climate and the soil.

Add layers of cardboard and layers of soil to create a semi-raised bed. This does not have to be a deep garden bed - just to your preferred depth. It depends on what you will be planting. The beauty of this is that the soil beneath is left undisturbed keeping its nutrients and structure.

When using as a mulch, it helps to hold moisture in the soil slowing down evaporation during the summer months. For those with clay soil, it can improve drainage, and for those with fast-draining sandy soil, moisture retention increases.

Homemade compost contains many soil microorganisms - woodlice, slugs, worms and other invertebrates and these will feed on the decaying matter.

They provide food for birds, and hedgehogs etc. With the changing climate, it makes sense to adapt how we garden.

Sieving compost

While homemade compost is not as sterile, it can be used perfectly for all gardening jobs. If wishing to plant seeds or seedlings, put the compost through a garden sieve to ensure the finer soil is used.

Use the bigger materials for mulching or leave in the compost bin to break down further.

When adding waste to the compost bin, the smaller the items, the quicker they will break down into compost.