Gardening
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Mantra is to reduce
VAL BOURNE says most garden debris can and should be recycled on site
Everybody is talking about compost and recycling as though they have invented it. A short drive down our village on bin day shows how seriously people are taking it. It's a fascinating sight with green bins bulging, glass bottles glinting and enough cardboard packaging to grace an Argos skip - and that's just one house containing two residents!
It's almost as though the army of containers has the words 'fill me' on the side.
Tuesday morning's peace is punctuated by several dustbin lorries rumbling through the village and I think they are as confused as we are as they eye the massive amount of debris and wonder which bit to take. Yes recycle, recycle and recycle is the new mantra. But I would rather see reduce, reduce and reduce. I want less consumerism and more conservatism.
I do have a head start on most of you . I come from Yorkshire and I'm reluctant to part with my pennies. But whichever county you hail from most garden debris can and should be recycled on site. Most doesn't need to leave the garden in a bin.
Woody material can be shredded and in Germany most households own their own shredder. Other garden debris can be layered - the unattractive analogy of a multi-layered hamburger springs to mind.
The multi-layer approach is easier in larger gardens. The difficulty is that most small gardens produce a surfeit of soft, grass clippings and these turn to treacle if added in quantities. The radical solution is to get rid of the lawn. Failing that, use an accelerator to speed up the process. This could be comfrey leaves, nettle tops or small animal droppings from rabbits, hamsters or chickens, but not dogs and cats. The comfrey is easier by the way. The other solution is to lay your grass clippings on a plastic sheet and allow them to brown for a day. Turn them once and repeat the process.
By then the decomposition process will be roughly half way through and the green clippings will have turned brown. Then you can either use them to mulch under fruit bushes, or at the back of the border, or add them to the heap. With luck the damp clippings may have dried out too. Other garden debris can be chopped up with secateurs or a spade.
Pernicious weeds shouldn't be added to a heap unless they are dead. But you can add vegetable and fruit off cuts, used tea bags, ripped up egg boxes, paper and cardboard, egg shells, dead flowers and coffee grounds. That should lighten the dustbin.
If you haven't aspired to making compost before now is a good time to start as we are in Compost Awareness Week. There are some good offers on bins and wormeries in garden centres and Oxfordshire County Council have many offers. There are also Master Composter courses and there is no sweeter smell than good compost on a warm day. I'm sure we'll get one soon.
Go to www.compostawarenessweek.org.uk or telephone 0845 077 0757 for information.
Two local gardens owned by lady plantaholics are open for the NGS on Sunday from 2pm until 5pm. Hollyhocks, a new NGS garden, is at Islip Monk's Head, Bletchingdon. Enjoy Waterperry and raise money for Cancer Research on May 18 between 10.00 am and 3.00 pm. For details and sponsorship forms contact Jenny Braithwaite on 01844 208073.
10:14am Thursday 8th May 2008
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