Hello and welcome to The Compost Bin. I'm Compostwoman and I live with my family in rural Herefordshire. We have nearly four acres of garden and woodland, all managed organically and to Permaculture principles, which we share with Chickens, Cats and assorted wildlife. We also grow a lot of our own food, run courses in all sorts of things and make a lot of compost!
I am a Master Composter and have spent more than a decade as a volunteer Community Compost adviser with Garden Organic and my local Council.
I'm a self employed Environmental Educator so I run workshops and events where I talk about compost, veg growing, chicken keeping, cooking, preserving and sustainable living. I also run crafts workshops and Forest School/outdoor play sessions in our wood.
We try to live a more self sufficient lifestyle here, as best we can, while still having a comfortable life and lots of fun.
To learn more about us click on the About Compostwoman tab and remember to click on the photos to make them full size!
Monday, 7 July 2014
On the mend.
Thank you, all of you, for the good wishes and comments recently :) I am now mobile and out of bed and on the way to recovery - still on medication and still feeling general pain but the hand and arm now look like they are my hand and arm, again.
So here are some of the things we have been up to in the last few weeks before the dreaded Blandford Fly got to me!
I only have two chickens now, but Poppet (aka Amber) and Sweetie are doing their best to create as much mayhem as a whole flock of hens! With the various digging and weeding and new flower bed creating going on here they have had ample chance to dig up seedlings, dust bathe in new seed beds and generally be, well, hens.
And then they have to have a snooze, to recharge their batteries, ready for the next bout of naughtiness :)
Annoying though their antics sometimes are, I would not be without them :)
I hope to have some more hens soon but am re thinking how and where to keep them to try to avoid more fox losses.
Friday, 6 December 2013
Leaf mould bins build
It's that time of year again, when the leaves are ( finally!) falling and are there to be gathered up and used to make leaf mould - that wonderful, rich, dark, crumbly soil enhancer :)
I have been sent a new ( to me ) sort of leaf mould bin by The Recycle Works - normally I use their wooden compost bins and excellent leaf mould they make too - you can read how I do it in this post
The new leaf mould bin I was sent to try out is a variation on their usual compost bin modules - this model fits on the end of an existing bin or you can get a stand alone version with a few more boards and parts.
This leaf mould bin is The Recycle Works usual easy to put together wooden posts and boards, but instead of each side being five boards high there are only two of the boards which are then held apart by vertically placed plastic strips
The bottom board ( the thicker one above) is slotted into the post as usual then the plastic strip is slid down the post until it sits on top of the bottom board
then the top board is added - held in place at the top of the post by the plastic strip, as in the photo below. Chickens are not supplied with the kit!
A roll of plastic wire mesh (also supplied) is added inside, to hold the leaves in place. The leaves will compost down as the air and rain can get to them easily
This is not fixed into place yet by the (provided) tiewraps, but you get the general idea.
I think this is a good product, it is a good idea and easy to assemble and as usual from The Recycle Works is of good quality.
I am, however going to disassemble it from where we put it today in the row of compost bins and re errect it as a stand alone leaf mould bin. I am doing this so I can compare this new bin with my usual method of making leaf mould - you all know how I love doing composting experiments :) I have enough spare parts to create a stand alone module.
You can buy these leaf mould bins from The Recycle Works as single, stand alone modules ( four posts, 8 boards, 8 plastic spacers and extra tiewraps) or to add on to an existing one of their compost bins.
Sunday, 23 June 2013
Busy unpacking and moving and digging
STILL TIME TO ENTER THE HAMPTON COURT DRAW! ->
Well the unpacking was the latest Rocket Gardens delivery - no sooner had I got delivery #2 and 3 in the ground than #4 turned up!
You all know the drill by now I guess - a box turns up here by courier, full of organically grown plug plants, packed in layers of lovely damp hay, which I then unpack and plant on
Lots of lovely layers of lovely plants :)
which I then moved into the polytunnel, while I find somewhere to plant them out.
It must be summer - the fan is back as a fixture in the polytunnel. It is activated when the temperature reaches a set ( by me) level inside. it really helps to keep things cooler during the day. Without it temperatures can soar to far too hot.
I will do a post about the Hot Bin and Hungry Bin separately, suffice to say I have been digging them out and am very pleased with what I have taken out :)
Saturday, 22 June 2013
Busy in the garden doing...stuff.
So today I started out with some mowing
but then the belts jumped so I had to stop. Compostman fixed it for me :-)
Compostman then got out the Allen Scythe and cut a path through the flower and hay meadow area.
The-place-where-the-greenhouse-will-be-one-day looks very lush with wild flowers;
I have seed bombed that area
and today I seedbombed this area
Ginger hens menacing Pearl ( the white pullet)
but they sorted it out peacefully in the end and shared a dust bath
My summer, outdoor potting bench :-)
I got a lot of plants potted on
HSL Asparagus lettuce. Note the arty late summer evening side lighting
The Cucamelons are thriving in the porch, as are various peppers and aubergines which are waiting to be planted out in the polytunnel
and yet more composting
I hope you have all had a good day :-)