Cordon Bleu for Plants

You know that you have become a compost bore when your family gives you a book about compost for Christmas! Worse than that, instead of the polite thank you whilst thinking what worthy individual you can give such a present to, you sneak away mid-festivities to read about greens and browns, hot and cold composting and all the rest.

I recommend Rachelle Strauss’s little green ‘Compost: How to…’ book and have learnt from it. I come from the school of give it a go, as far as most things are concerned, and only read the instructions when things have gone very badly wrong and the piece of kit (normally electronic) lies broken on the floor. My car has a myriad of cunning little buttons and although I have owned it for over 2 years, I have no idea what most of them do!

With compost, I find that I have adopted exactly the same approach but luckily, with gardener Simon’s help all is well.

We have two compost bins, with concrete bases (a must to stop roots growing in from the bottom) and we fill one, leaving the other to rot down, for a whole year, before digging out the other that we first thought of and then off we go again…

We use no sprays or chemicals at Ferns Lodge. The compost is –

• Grass clippings.
• Leaves (mostly cut up by the lawnmower).
• A little ash from the wood-burner.
• Some kitchen waste – potato peelings and all that.
• Dead cut flowers from the house.
• All the deadheading and small pruning.
• Any compost over from another job.
• Lovely horse manure from a near neighbour, which joins us with all its worms when the heap is ready to rest, and spends a year on top of the heap until it is time to use.

This is lazy composting. I have now learned from my new friend Rachelle that you can be much cleverer than that. We do not turn it, or fiddle with it, we simply give it topping of old carpet and let it get on with life.

In the work area, we have accumulated a heap of grass cuttings and cut up leaves. This is rotting down, but we will need to borrow a tractor to turn it to help with the process in the spring.

As far as my lazy compost is concerned, a January job, just completed is the annual digging out of the compost. It is like a rich chocolate cake and it can be cut very much the same way.

This is spread onto hard working beds to give them encouragement to do well for us this year. It smells great, looks good, and I always feel pleased when this marvellous mulch has been spread, cheering up the winter beds. I know for sure that the plants love the nutrients and matter that nourishes them for the new season as well as protecting them from the cold and harsh winter before spring is upon us. It is truly cordon bleu for plants!

Contact sue.grant@fernslodge.co.uk.