Nature’s way of recycling
I think we forget about all the trillions upon trillions of living organisms that live at the bottom of the food chain – in our garden soil.
I like to say “I feed the soil, to feed the plants, (to feed the animals – not if you are vegetarian!), to feed me”. Or “for a plant to thrive the soil must be alive!”
Most of us lead very busy lives with little time for gardening so why not get nature on your side – let nature turn your kitchen and garden waste into useful compost. By making compost and returning it back to the soil you will grow better plants, improve the health of the soil and improve its water retentive capacity. You will be feeding the trillions of soil dwelling bacteria, fungi and microscopic creatures, all of which are essential to maintaining a healthy balanced soil.
I hear lots of reasons against making compost:
1. Unsightly and smelly compost bin
2. No space for compost bin
3. No success in past with making compost
4. Never get round to emptying compost bin
5. Afraid of attracting rats to compost bin
If you fall into any of the above categories then try trench composting:
Dig a short trench (or a hole) approximately a foot deep and a foot wide, tip in your kitchen (without spreading it around too much), cover with soil by digging the next section of trench (hole). This works well in a vegetable patch, it means you will be preparing / digging your soil in tiny stages (you can even turn over weedy soil into the trench) and you can grow beans above the trench the following season (3 jobs in one!).
Keep nature on your side!
