Charlie Foulkes, Singer/Songwriter

Composting

Some people turn their noses up at composting. Not me... rubbish is a resource in your garden. We got some cheap plastic compost bins subsidised by the Council. We also have a wormery. Worms eat kitchen scraps and cardboard. There is a tap at the bottom of the bin from which liquid fertiliser is drained. At full production this is done once or twice a week and is diluted with water to feed the garden. Over time, you can actually 'harvest' the compost from the worm bin itself. The resulting compost is about the richest, most nutritious thing you can put on your garden. Roses love it.


The contents of compost bin No.1 in late October. Mushrooms growing in your compost is a good sign! It means, well, that stuff is composting! I use a good balance of green material (kitchen waste etc) and browns (cardboard, hay). My special tip for getting compost going is this: pee in a jug and tip it into the composter, and mix. If you are male, you might not need the jug, but you might want to check that the neighbours aren't watching. If anyone can tell me what sort the mushrooms are, please let me know!	Compost Bin No.1, a standard issue Council-subsided bin.
This year I'm experimenting with sowing things in "re-cycled" containers, e.g. the cardboard tubes from the middle of toilet rolls. Ideal for veggies that don't like root disturbance - you can simply plant the whole thing and the cardboard will rot away. Also good for sowing beans and sweet peas as the shape encourages the plants to grow deep roots.
	I like to cut mineral water bottles in half and use them as propagators. Its much cheaper than buying specially made ones from the shops.