Grow Now
Eco Active Blog
Sustainability in Action at Home
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By Rachael Mairey
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How To Compost
What if I have no compost?
Just use the earth from your garden. Ask a friend if you don't have access to any earth.
Once your plants are growing you can always feed your crops and improve the earth with seaweed, comfrey or stinging nettle fertiliser. If you have any old tomato feed that will also be good.
How to make Comfrey and Stinging Nettle Fertiliser
There are several techniques, but the simplest is to chop up comfrey or nettles (that have not gone to seed and have no roots), and soak them in water for 3-4 weeks. I use a bucket of comfrey/nettle leaves to a water butt full of water and do not dilute it, but you can scale this down.
Another option is to put comfrey/nettle leaves in a bucket and weigh it down with a stone or brick. Place a lid on top, leave it for 3-4 weeks and you will end up with a dark, rich liquid. Dilute this 1 part comfrey/nettle liquid to 10 parts water. This can be a bit stinky, but the smell doesn’t last forever!
Odourless Fertiliser Alternatives
You can simply spread comfrey or nettle leaves on to your growing areas and around fruit trees, let them rot down and they will enrich the soil. You can also pop a leaf or two in your planting hole or in a pot when potting on. If using nettles, do make sure they have not gone to seed and are rootless, otherwise you’ll be cultivating nettles! You can also buy good quality organic fertilisers, including those made of seaweed and comfrey.
Start Composting
Composting not only reduces rubbish going to landfill, it means that you can grow more food for free. So start saving your food scraps and garden waste and turn it into "plant food." Create a healthy soil to enable your plants to thrive!
How can I set up a composting bin?
Choose an outdoor space for your compost where you can make compost bays out of recycled pallets or old bits of wood. You could also use an old plastic bin-cut some holes in or remove the base completely, so worms and other organisms can enter and do their thing! Obviously, you can also buy a ready-made bin or even a hotbin. See below.
What can I compost?
You can add almost anything organic from kitchen waste or garden waste. Don't forget egg shells, cut flowers, coffee grounds paper coffee filters, old newspapers, tea and tea bags, hair (from pets and your own hair brush!), toothpicks, and even matches.
How to get good compost?
The truth is that if you chuck a load of kitchen and garden waste into a pile, it will eventually turn into compost, even if you do absolutely nothing to it at all. It will take longer to decompose and may not make Garden Centre grade compost, but it will be compost nevertheless!
Greens and Browns
Greens are nitrogen rich and include: veg scraps, weeds and grass clippings. These enzyme-rich materials give microbes protein! Browns are carbon rich and include: dried leaves, dried grass, woody material (best if cut into small pieces or shredded), bark chip, paper and straw. These sugar-rich materials give microbes energy! Ideally a mixture of 2:1 Greens Browns gives the best compost. This will give your plants the best chance in life too!
What about the 25:1 Carbon:Nitrogen (C:N) ratio?
This refers to chemical composition, not volume of greens and browns. It’s easy to tell if you have the mixture wrong: if it stinks, add more browns and consider turning with a fork. If nothing’s happening and it’s very dry, add more greens along with some water!
Should I turn my compost heap?
This is much-debated! If you turn it, you will get compost quicker and the heap will remain aerated and healthy. If you don’t wish to turn, try to add waste to your heap in a way that ensures air pockets and channels are created.
The large compost bays at The Sustainability Centre contain only garden waste and are not turned. They give us compost in a year. Kitchen waste generally goes in our hotbins, which give us compost in around 6 weeks! The 2 different types of compost are then layered onto our growing areas. Heaps that remain unturned can be a good habitats for wildlife including slow worms and beetles.
So… the choice is yours!
What about a compost bin? Should that be turned or mixed?
You can mix around the contents of your compost bin with a garden fork, or easier still, just add a good mixture of materials to create air pockets and egg boxes are very good for this! You will get compost within 3-12 months. When all the material has rotted down, it doesn’t smell and looks like earth, it’s ready!
Is there anything I can't compost?
Don't add dairy or animal products. The same goes for fats, oils, and pet waste, although you can get away with a small amount of vegetable oil. If you have a disease or insect ridden plant then don't add it to the pile as it could contaminate your compost, making it unusable. Don’t add large twigs and branches as these take a long time to break down. Instead, you could put them in a habitat pile in the garden.
How can I use my composters?
To use it as I mulch, I prefer to layer it on top of the soil and let the soil organisms incorporate it naturally. It acts as a natural fertilizer to nurture your soil and plants, so add it once or twice a year, whenever is practical for you, or in between your crops.
You could also use it as potting compost to bring on seeds. Growth may not be as vigorous compared to using commercial potting compost, but I have successfully brought on numerous seedlings in home-made compost. Plants just want to grow and seeds just want to germinate!
Just use the earth from your garden. Ask a friend if you don't have access to any earth.
Once your plants are growing you can always feed your crops and improve the earth with seaweed, comfrey or stinging nettle fertiliser. If you have any old tomato feed that will also be good.
How to make Comfrey and Stinging Nettle Fertiliser
There are several techniques, but the simplest is to chop up comfrey or nettles (that have not gone to seed and have no roots), and soak them in water for 3-4 weeks. I use a bucket of comfrey/nettle leaves to a water butt full of water and do not dilute it, but you can scale this down.
Another option is to put comfrey/nettle leaves in a bucket and weigh it down with a stone or brick. Place a lid on top, leave it for 3-4 weeks and you will end up with a dark, rich liquid. Dilute this 1 part comfrey/nettle liquid to 10 parts water. This can be a bit stinky, but the smell doesn’t last forever!
Odourless Fertiliser Alternatives
You can simply spread comfrey or nettle leaves on to your growing areas and around fruit trees, let them rot down and they will enrich the soil. You can also pop a leaf or two in your planting hole or in a pot when potting on. If using nettles, do make sure they have not gone to seed and are rootless, otherwise you’ll be cultivating nettles! You can also buy good quality organic fertilisers, including those made of seaweed and comfrey.
Start Composting
Composting not only reduces rubbish going to landfill, it means that you can grow more food for free. So start saving your food scraps and garden waste and turn it into "plant food." Create a healthy soil to enable your plants to thrive!
How can I set up a composting bin?
Choose an outdoor space for your compost where you can make compost bays out of recycled pallets or old bits of wood. You could also use an old plastic bin-cut some holes in or remove the base completely, so worms and other organisms can enter and do their thing! Obviously, you can also buy a ready-made bin or even a hotbin. See below.
What can I compost?
You can add almost anything organic from kitchen waste or garden waste. Don't forget egg shells, cut flowers, coffee grounds paper coffee filters, old newspapers, tea and tea bags, hair (from pets and your own hair brush!), toothpicks, and even matches.
How to get good compost?
The truth is that if you chuck a load of kitchen and garden waste into a pile, it will eventually turn into compost, even if you do absolutely nothing to it at all. It will take longer to decompose and may not make Garden Centre grade compost, but it will be compost nevertheless!
Greens and Browns
Greens are nitrogen rich and include: veg scraps, weeds and grass clippings. These enzyme-rich materials give microbes protein! Browns are carbon rich and include: dried leaves, dried grass, woody material (best if cut into small pieces or shredded), bark chip, paper and straw. These sugar-rich materials give microbes energy! Ideally a mixture of 2:1 Greens Browns gives the best compost. This will give your plants the best chance in life too!
What about the 25:1 Carbon:Nitrogen (C:N) ratio?
This refers to chemical composition, not volume of greens and browns. It’s easy to tell if you have the mixture wrong: if it stinks, add more browns and consider turning with a fork. If nothing’s happening and it’s very dry, add more greens along with some water!
Should I turn my compost heap?
This is much-debated! If you turn it, you will get compost quicker and the heap will remain aerated and healthy. If you don’t wish to turn, try to add waste to your heap in a way that ensures air pockets and channels are created.
The large compost bays at The Sustainability Centre contain only garden waste and are not turned. They give us compost in a year. Kitchen waste generally goes in our hotbins, which give us compost in around 6 weeks! The 2 different types of compost are then layered onto our growing areas. Heaps that remain unturned can be a good habitats for wildlife including slow worms and beetles.
So… the choice is yours!
What about a compost bin? Should that be turned or mixed?
You can mix around the contents of your compost bin with a garden fork, or easier still, just add a good mixture of materials to create air pockets and egg boxes are very good for this! You will get compost within 3-12 months. When all the material has rotted down, it doesn’t smell and looks like earth, it’s ready!
Is there anything I can't compost?
Don't add dairy or animal products. The same goes for fats, oils, and pet waste, although you can get away with a small amount of vegetable oil. If you have a disease or insect ridden plant then don't add it to the pile as it could contaminate your compost, making it unusable. Don’t add large twigs and branches as these take a long time to break down. Instead, you could put them in a habitat pile in the garden.
How can I use my composters?
To use it as I mulch, I prefer to layer it on top of the soil and let the soil organisms incorporate it naturally. It acts as a natural fertilizer to nurture your soil and plants, so add it once or twice a year, whenever is practical for you, or in between your crops.
You could also use it as potting compost to bring on seeds. Growth may not be as vigorous compared to using commercial potting compost, but I have successfully brought on numerous seedlings in home-made compost. Plants just want to grow and seeds just want to germinate!
Growing Inside Or Under Cover in April
Where should I sow for speedy germination?
To get germination as quickly as possible use window sills, greenhouses, poly-tunnels, cloches or a well-lit shed.
To get germination as quickly as possible use window sills, greenhouses, poly-tunnels, cloches or a well-lit shed.
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What should I sow ?
Basil Beans (french, runner, etc) Beetroot Cabbage Carrot Cauliflower Celariac Chard Coriander |
Corn salad Cucumbers Kohl rabi Landcress Lettuce New Zealand spinach Pak choi Peas (including sugar snap) Radish |
Rocket Spinach Spring onion Tomatoes Sprouting broccoli Turnip Winter purslane |
Recycled Pots and Seed Trays
So dig out your pots, trays, used yogurt pots, mushroom trays, tetra paks or any other packaging you can find and wrap in dark paper or cardboard if using clear plastic to avoid direct sunlight on roots.
You could even use old bits of guttering/other piping cut in half with ends plugged with tape/stones/anything else you can find that will do the job!
Have fun getting your food growing and check out my next blog on what to plant and sow outdoors.
So dig out your pots, trays, used yogurt pots, mushroom trays, tetra paks or any other packaging you can find and wrap in dark paper or cardboard if using clear plastic to avoid direct sunlight on roots.
You could even use old bits of guttering/other piping cut in half with ends plugged with tape/stones/anything else you can find that will do the job!
Have fun getting your food growing and check out my next blog on what to plant and sow outdoors.
Planting and Sowing Outside in April
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What should I plant outside now ?
Onions Chitted potatoes Strawberries Asparagus Jerusalem artichokes Chard Spinach Kale Spring onions |
What should I sow outside now?
Mustard greens (giant red, komatsuna, mizuna) Corn salad Rocket Carrots Green onions New Zealand spinach (after frost) Winter purslane |
What will grow quickly?
Try salad leaves, spring onions and radish.
Don’t forget, you can eat radish leaves once you’ve harvested the root. I like them in stir fries, soups or stews!
Try salad leaves, spring onions and radish.
Don’t forget, you can eat radish leaves once you’ve harvested the root. I like them in stir fries, soups or stews!
Seeds in April
My seeds are passed their sow-by date. Can I use them?
Give it a go! There’s no harm in trying! You may have a pleasant surprise! Many seeds keep for a long time (e.g. beans, tomatoes, beets, cucumbers, corn salad, lettuce and kale). I am currently using broad beans from beans saved from our crop from 2 years ago, which are growing fantastically! Carrot, parsnip and leek seeds do not always keep so well.
Give it a go! There’s no harm in trying! You may have a pleasant surprise! Many seeds keep for a long time (e.g. beans, tomatoes, beets, cucumbers, corn salad, lettuce and kale). I am currently using broad beans from beans saved from our crop from 2 years ago, which are growing fantastically! Carrot, parsnip and leek seeds do not always keep so well.
Growing without a Garden
What if I have no garden?
Use every inch of window sill or sunny indoor space. You could try the following:
Use every inch of window sill or sunny indoor space. You could try the following:
- Cut-and come again salad-try mizuna, rocket, mustard greens, winter purslane, lamb’s lettuce, common lettuce or readymade mixes
- Spring onions and radishes
- Grow beetroot and kohl rabi in 1-2 L pots
- Chard and spinach-harvest leaves when small
How to Create a Container Garden
You can put containers on balconies, by your door, on patios, on driveways or even use a window box.
If you have no containers, use old buckets, washing up bowls, trugs, baskets, sturdy shopping bags or similar. Remember to make drainage holes and keep watered!
Fill the bottom with stones, broken up polystyrene or pieces of old plates, mugs or terracotta plant pots.
You can plant seed such as beetroot, chard, the salads mentioned above, spring onions, courgettes, peas, beans, cabbage, carrot, kohl rabi, peas, pak choi. Check out the ‘What should I sow now’ lists above and try whatever tickles your fancy.
One very simple container idea is to grow beans up sticks surrounded by salad leaves, radish and spinach.
Happy container gardening!
If you have no containers, use old buckets, washing up bowls, trugs, baskets, sturdy shopping bags or similar. Remember to make drainage holes and keep watered!
Fill the bottom with stones, broken up polystyrene or pieces of old plates, mugs or terracotta plant pots.
You can plant seed such as beetroot, chard, the salads mentioned above, spring onions, courgettes, peas, beans, cabbage, carrot, kohl rabi, peas, pak choi. Check out the ‘What should I sow now’ lists above and try whatever tickles your fancy.
One very simple container idea is to grow beans up sticks surrounded by salad leaves, radish and spinach.
Happy container gardening!
