I never seem to have enough garden compost and every year end up having to supplement it with the commercial stuff. I’m happy to admit that I have a tendency to be pretty obsessive about composting and anything that stands still too long in this garden is in danger of ending up on the heap.
Obsessive, perhaps but certainly not tidy. I find that the bigger the heap the more efficient the decomposition. The row of 3 plastic bins were ditched years ago, hence the large ungainly heap. About twice a year, usually when I’ve run out of excuses or rather jobs to do, I will tackle the the heap, this involves chopping and chipping either with an old lawnmower or with the ‘Beast’ ie the petrol chipper.
Once the material is of a manageable size it’s then left in Dumpy bags to mature and then I’ll turn these regularly to ensure that the heap remains active. I usually get about 4 x 1 tonne bag’s worth of compost a year.
I am planning to join the National Garden Scheme with a view to opening the garden to visitors for a couple of days next year. So the untidy heap, as worthwhile as it is, has to go. Like many of you I’ve had a little more time on my hands over the past 2 weeks and I’ve been able to fashion reclaimed fence timber from my mum’s garden into some semblance of a series of composting bays. This will mean that I will be able to revise my practise of using a large heap for the first stage of composting. Certainly tidier, but will it work? Will let you know how I get on!
Bara, pridd a Prosecco 