Terry’s Composting Tips

 

PART ONE - AUTUMN

      This is the time of year when we think of what will be wanted for next year. As the ground is cleared we need to get the earth covered from it's nakedness. It's not good for the earth to be bare, so do it a favour and grow green manure.

       This is a good time to grow Ryegrass or Grazing Rye - sow before  the end of October to over winter and dig in in the spring. There are lots of green manure's, but most of them do not over winter very well or not at all. Now make sure that when sowing the rye seed, it's where you will dig it in. Allow at least a month after you have dug in the green manure before sowing  seeds because compounds released by the decaying process may inhibit germination.

Even weeds can be used as green manure; the same golden rule applies, dig it in or cut it down before they go to seed. Some weeds though should not be given the chance to spread or be tolerated, usually deep rooted, they will spring into life from the smallest piece of root you leave in the soil. Then again some form a thick mass of roots and are just as persistent.

I do not use chemicals but I must admit to being sorely tempted at times; but I can buy chemically treated food at the shops a lot cheaper than I can produce it, and a lot less work for me, so I won’t go down that road.

The whole idea of GREEN MANURING is to add humus to the earth to keep it full of life, for if left bare for some time the life force leaches away, then it takes some time to bring it back to fertility and regenerate life back into the earth. Earth is the sediment from ground-up rock of some sort or another, sometimes from rocks nearby or washed down by rivers. In my case it’s rubbish tippings, some say bomb damage and some say underground railway diggings or both; it makes little difference to the plants, but they do need nutrients. Seeds have their own start  in life and some can go a long way on just water and air and therefore are able to lay the basis for other things at the end of this short cycle.

But of course that is not the end of the plant’s needs, look out for part two!

Terence N Tucker