Creating Compost

Make your mantra ‘recycle and reuse’ and make your own garden compost, says Adrienne Wild.

- Adrienne Wild

If you want your garden to grow, it’s important to enrich the soil with organic matter. You can use well-rotted farmyard manure or buy a cleaner, manufactured soil conditioner. Best of all, though, is to make your own by recycling your kitchen and garden waste, and even your old woolly jumpers!

For the sake of the environment it makes sense to take this greener approach to reducing the amount of rubbish you send to landfill. Composting at home is free and can help reduce global warming gases, so it’s good news for the planet, too. What’s more, homemade compost is a quality, nutrient-rich plant food that, when dug into the garden, will keep the soil healthy and in good heart.

Plants love it as it improves soil structure, making it well drained and aerated, and easier for roots to penetrate. Garden compost helps keep your soil’s pH balance in check, too, which is essential to suppress plant disease and ensures your garden looks beautiful.