In 2023, Cleobury Gardeners had the pleasure of hosting master composter Rachel Strivens and colleague Caroline, for Monday evening’s effervescent discussion on the alchemy of turning garden green garbage and brown, broken brash into black gold – COMPOST! Rachel is Chair of Garden Organic (www.gardenorganic.ork.uk), but this evening’s talk was about the importance of composting, and how to begin.
The method initially requires heat and oxygen achieved by a 50:50ish mix of garden greens – which provide nitrogen and moisture – and brown dry matter, which is high in carbon and promotes airflow and moisture absorption.
And of course you need a compost bin. These come in all shapes and sizes and prices, from plastic ‘daleks’ to slatted pallet compounds. Shropshire County Council will make available standard bins at discounted prices: just enter your postcode at ‘getcomposting.com’ for more details. Rachel recommended siting the bin in a convenient position for your easy use, preferably on soil to give access to the worms, and in a place of some warmth, but not too warm (important not to fry the worms!).
So why should we compost? This is a wide-ranging question, but Rachel divided her answer into the big picture and the personal one. By 2027, peat will no longer be an ingredient in retail horticulture, and effective alternatives have still to be formulated and made available to general gardening users, at prices we are prepared to pay.
The big part of the answer is the benefit to the environment, by building and maintaining soil health, encouraging biodiversity, using resources responsibly, and reducing our reliance on chemicals and fertilisers.
The personal aspect is that composting will benefit your pocket, providing a free and freely available nutrient-rich additive, giving you some control over the health of your garden – of particular interest for those in Cleobury, helping to promote an open structure to our solid clay soils.
SO, GET COMPOSTING! THE WORMS WILL COME!