sue bell garden design

I was chatting with a neighbour over the weekend and the topic of compost came up. We’re on a relatively new development so there is no real soil, just the rubbish that the developer left behind. Consequently the borders need all the help they can get, and we both make (or try to make) compost in order to improve the situation as cheaply as possible. My neighbour was wondering how best to avoid a repetition of the stinky sludge he created last year. So, here goes…

What is compost?

Compost is simply broken down organic material. The decomposition is performed primarily by aerobic bacteria and micro-fungi, although larger creatures such as ants, nematodes and worms also contribute.
Microbes generate heat as they decompose organic matter. The inner part of a compost pile heats up the most; the centre of the heap can get very hot. The ideal temperature is around 60°C (140°F). These temperatures, if sustained, will kill most pathogens and weed seeds. However, domestic heaps rarely maintain high enough temperatures for long enough to do this, so home-produced compost generally contains seeds.

Size is important

The fastest acting decomposers are thermophilic, that is, they like heat. So to make compost quickly the compost heap must be warm, and insulated so that it stays warm. A small heap tends to lose heat rapidly, so the aim is to provide a large enough mass to self-insulate and keep the centre of the heap warm enough for the fast-acting microbes to do their job. Ideally, the heap should be about 1m wide, 1m tall, and as long as is practicable.

What to feed your bacteria

The heap itself is food and lodging for bacteria and micro-fungi. To keep your bacteria happy the heap must contain the right mix of food – that’s carbon and nitrogen to you and me.

There are many rules of thumb to guide composters in approximating the mix, based on volume. Generally, a mix of 1 part nitrogen-rich to 1 or 2 parts carbon-rich material will generate good compost. I have found that it’s easier to get away with more carbon-rich material than nitrogen-rich. We have all, at some time, experienced the soggy, stinking mess that results from too many grass clippings – that’s the result of too much nitrogen.

Nitrogen-rich material includes:

• vegetable peelings,
• sappy plant material,
• grass clippings,
• coffee grounds, and
• chicken / horse / cow manure.

Carbon-rich material includes:

• dry leaves,
• woody plant material,
• straw,
• bark,
• paper (including newspaper, but not glossies), and
• cardboard.

What NOT to feed your bacteria

Given enough time, all biodegradable material will compost. However, most garden systems won’t reach high enough temperatures to kill pathogens and deter vermin, so non-vegetarian animal manure, meat scraps, cooking oils, and dairy products should not be used.

Is anything else needed?

Two more things are needed for quick, effective composting – water and oxygen.

The compost pile should be kept about as damp as a well wrung-out sponge. That’s all.

Oxygen is trapped in the heap when you build it. Over time the bacteria use this up, but turning the heap periodically adds more. It also brings the outer layers to the inside of the heap and vice versa, so everything has time in the middle where it’s hottest.

Don’t worry if you can’t turn your heap. The aerobic bacteria will die as the oxygen in the heap is consumed, but anaerobic bacteria will take over. The heap will still rot down, but will take longer. I do turn my heap, and use the opportunity to correct the mix if it’s going wrong. If the heap is too dry then I add grass clippings; if it’s too wet then I add shredded paper.

Shredding the material and mixing it together as it is added increases the rate of decomposition but isn’t necessary. If you don’t chop everything up your heap will still rot down – it will just take a bit longer.

So, how do I do it?

I compost all my food waste and all the weedings and clippings from my garden. I chop everything up as much as I can with secateurs because I don’t have a garden shredder. I shred all my private papers and compost those. I throw in loo-roll inners, kitchen-roll inners, egg boxes, corrugated cardboard (torn in to hand-size pieces), newspaper, and as much of my lawn clippings as I can without the heap going soggy. I don’t put in egg shells (they seem to take years to break down) or tea-bags (the tea rots but the bags don’t. I try to mix everything up as I put it in and also stir up the top few layers whenever I add a major load (like after a big weeding session).

I have three bins on the go. They are set up in a row and once a year I empty one bin and turn everything else.

So, at the start of my gardening year bin 3 is emptied. Anything that is still recognisable is thrown in to bin 2 and the rest of the lovely stuff is used to mulch a newly-tidied border. Once the bin is empty, the contents of bin 2 are thrown in to bin 3 and covered; the contents of bin 1 are thrown in to bin 2 and covered, and I start filling bin 1 again. I should cover bin 1 but can’t be bothered to remove the lid every time I want to throw something in. So instead I leave it uncovered and sometimes water it before adding a new layer (but only if it’s got too dry).

You’ve probably worked out that it takes me A LONG TIME to make a batch of compost. It could be done quicker, if I chopped everything up smaller and turned it more often. BUT, I’m already composting all the garden and kitchen waste I produce and I’m not using all the space I have, so doing it quicker wouldn’t make any more but it would take much more effort, so I’m happy as I am.
If you do it quicker then it’s ready when you can’t recognise anything, it doesn’t smell offensive, it’s dark brown or nearly black and crumbly.

Whether you’re in touch with nature or not, you can’t have failed to notice a marked improvement in the weather over the last week or so. As well as a general improvement in mood this has triggered the long-delayed migration of toads, frogs and newts to their breeding ponds.

What has this got to do with buckets?

Toads in particular are in decline. They’re fussy about where they breed, preferring deep ponds, and return to the same pond year after year. Unfortunately this means they often have to cross busy roads and, not being familiar with the Green Cross Code, many are killed. It’s a personal disaster for the toad and, at busy crossings, creates an awful mess (toad jam not being to everyone’s taste).

Little Melton has one such pond and in recent years a number of volunteers have turned out on warm, damp nights in spring to ferry toads, frogs and newts across the road in buckets. A couple of weeks later we ferry them back again. Somewhere in the middle it gets very confusing as we try to work out where they want to go!

Credit where it’s due

I can’t take the credit for this exercise – John Heaser was/is the driving force – but I do my bit. For the last couple of years I have organised the rota and this year we have extended to cover a crossing in the neighbouring village of Great Melton. John also manages a crossing at Bowthorpe and this year has started similar exercises in Costessey and Ashwellthorpe (although I don’t manage their rotas).

I also do my bit with torch and bucket. Just in case you’re wondering, they’re not slimy, but frogs can be difficult to pick up and often jump out of the bucket.

Does it make a difference?

So far this year the volunteers have helped 2252 toads, 253 frogs, 21 smooth newts and 24 great-crested newts across the five sites. We’ve lost a few, but there’s no more jam.

So, look out for the signs and the volunteers – we’re the ones out after dark in the rain with reflective jackets, torches and buckets. Many of our buckets appear to be making strange noises.

Thank you

Thank you to all those drivers who slow down for us and particular thanks to those who stop and allow us to pick up beasties before they get run over.

To learn more about what we do and for up-to-date information on this year’s migration see toadwatch. In particular see this excellent article by Dr Anne Edwards (one of our volunteers).

Well, it’s been a while since I wrote anything here. I’ve been meaning to but then another day goes by and it’s still not done.

So, what’s the problem?

I’m one of those people who works better when I have lots to do. When I’m busy I’ll always find time to do that extra chore, but when I’m not busy the jobs I do have expand to fill the available time. I appear to be busy, but when I look back through my day I realise I have achieved nothing.

And that’s partly why I haven’t written anything lately. I’ve been so busy doing nothing that I haven’t had the time.

The original intention

I had hoped to use my work to illustrate common design challenges (and solutions) and perhaps highlight some of the pitfalls waiting for the unwary (in a suitably witty, self-deprecating, way). However, so far my biggest challenge is finding work – any work at all.

And what do you write about when you’ve got nothing to do?

So, what now?

My predicament isn’t unusual or unique. Having spoken to other designers in the area I know that many are struggling to find work at the moment. If established companies are struggling, what hope does a newcomer like me have?

This business is based on recommendation. You need that first job (done well, of course) to get the second. At the moment that first job is eluding me, but I’m sure it will come. I am in an enviable position – I don’t HAVE to work – I have ‘another half’ bringing home the bacon, so I can afford to grit my teeth and sit it out.

In the meantime, perhaps it’s time to stop prevaricating (micro-analysing my website stats) and time to finish my final projects, so I can claim my Garden Design Diploma before the spring rush. Well, you never know!