Composting as Co-Creation

Here's a selection of the fruit and vegetables that we grow on our allotment. This hoard is all down to our hard efforts except the sweet peas that were gifted to me by Lawrence, another plot holder. I'm also partial to the grapes that Pete gives me. He is two plots and has inspired me to buy my own vines. No fruit yet but the leaves are very pretty and keep my greenhouse plants shaded.

I attribute some of our own bounty to the fact that we feed our soil well. My partner, Paul, trawls the neighbouring countryside for free manure. It's quite plentiful around here as a lot of people have horses. We forage seaweed, a valuable source of iodine from the local beach. Vegetable scraps, eggshells and cardboard are all now seen as valuable commodities.

The Emergence of Composting Nerd

I know I deserve this title because I love to read and talk about the subject. Happily, I'm not alone. The other day I met a friend in a nearby town who gave me a lift home. We spent the entire journey excitedly talking about my new-to-me wormery (gifted by another friend), leaf mulching and how fast my vegetable scraps and weeds had turned into 'black gold' over the summer.

My slightly younger self, just a few years back, would never have believed this. For it's only recently, since I retired, that I've become a gardener let alone someone who is an avid collector of potato peelings. For years, I firmly believed that I could kill a plant with just a glance. But I was wrong. Somehow I've finally found my green fingers. My passion for composting has to be contributing to my newfound talent for getting plants to thrive.

Six Bins and Counting

Yes I'm currently the proud owner of six fully operational compost bins. Here's one of them made from old pallet holders. I found an old plastic lid which fits on top perfectly. Four of the bins are work in progress. I fill them with kitchen scraps, shredded paper and card, garden waste and leaf sweepings. The other two hold the finished product. The process is surprisingly quick. Most stuff seems to rot down in less than six months.

Emptying the bins isn't my favourite job but it's a necessary evil. On the last occasion I 'harvested' the equivalent of about fifteen bags of shop bought compost. That's a lot of money saved and veggies fed.

Now some people will swear by using a prescribed method for composting, mixing just the right amounts of green and brown material. But I'm not that meticulous. To be honest I shove all my waste into those bins in any old order. However, if you want some advice from a proper guru here's a link to an article by Charles Dowding. the pioneer of no-dig gardening. He's far more knowledgeable about the subject than I'll probably ever be.

Now, some people will swear by using a prescribed method for composting, mixing just the right amounts of green and brown material. But I'm not that meticulous. To be honest, I shove all my waste into those bins in any old order. However, if you want to be a bit more meticulous take some advice from a proper guru. Here's a link to an article by Charles Dowding, the pioneer of no-dig gardening. He's far more knowledgeable about the subject than I'll probably ever be.

Gardening as Co-Creation

What strikes me most about my allotment activities is that I'm involved in an act of co-creation. Growing my own food has given me a wonderful sense of connection and an awareness that everything happens in its own time. . I'm certainly not the overlord in any of the processes that I'm part of. My role is the apprentice and not the head gardener.

Everything happens at its own pace. I have little control over this. Most things go quite slowly except the growth of runner beans. During harvesting season I'll clear my plants one afternoon and by the very next day there's an abundance. If I sat there long enough would I actually see them growing?

Composting is a strong reminder that this is a joint effort. I provide 'rubbish' as an offering and then nature does the rest. I'd love you to try this for yourself. All you need is a sturdy container with a lid and a bit of space in your garden, balcony or even on the kitchen windowsill. A pile of vegetable peeling and shredded paper doesn't look like much at first but keep feeding it. It will gradually transform into earthy treasure. Think of it as a magic trick from nature!