Now is the perfect time to give composting a go
Recycling centres abruptly closed and garden waste collections came to a halt at the onset of the pandemic lockdown. Bonfires are not allowed on most allotments. None of these measures has caused particular problems for those of us to whom composting is second nature. Now is the moment for those allotmenteers who have been dragging their heels to have a go.
There’s no need to order something expensive online as scrap wood or even wire netting wound round some posts will suffice. Failing that, marking out an area about 1sqm and earmarking it for compost will do and can be improved on when suitable materials can be sourced. Composting works best when the heap is built on bare earth allowing good drainage and easy access for beneficial microbes and worms from the soil below.
Compost heaps should be built up gradually using a range of different materials. Recent additions to my heap are leafy weeds like chickweed and groundsel interspersed with kale stems that I’ve bashed with a mallet to soften them and some straw cleaned off last year’s strawberry beds. Grass mowings need to be layered with other material as they can turn slimy. Another use for grass mowings is to spread them between rows of potatoes where they help to retain moisture.
It’s always a bit of a problem knowing what to do with those pernicious weeds such as ground elder, bindweed and couch grass with long creeping roots. It’s probably not a good idea to try and compost them although I know people do and claim that if they continue to grow it’s easy enough to pull them out of the heap later. Some plotters leave weeds on their path for a couple of weeks to bake to a crisp in the sun before putting them on the compost heap.
At the same time garden centres have closed, cutting off a source of young vegetable plants. Those of us already growing from seed weren’t bothered but it has sparked a welcome surge of people keen to have a go. I heard some seed companies
Compost heaps should be built up gradually using different materials
were temporarily overwhelmed with new orders but dispatching them now by post. With social distancing rules in place it’s not so easy to offer practical help to newcomers sowing seeds for the first time. However, there are some excellent online resources and I recommend looking at the series of Youtube videos called It’s Sow Simple, www.itssowsimple.co.uk. ■