Composting for Beginners
Compost is nature’s way of recycling. Made from waste garden material, compost is an essential ingredient for creating rich, friable soil and therefore healthy plants. Find out how to make compost with the guide below and use compost throughout your garden for healthy plant growth!
HOW TO SET UP YOUR COMPOST SYSTEM
To get started you will need a good structure or container to hold your compost. Reln Garden Compost Bins are a great option, or you could build your own, for example out of plastic bins or pallets, or create a compost heap. Look online for more ideas.
Choose a sunny position for your compost system and ensure it is easily accessible for adding ingredients and regular mixing.
Prepare your compost in layers that are a blend of carbon and nitrogen. This means adding a mix of organic garden and kitchen waste materials.
Carbon: Leaves, sticks, twigs and newspaper.
Nitrogen: Fruit and vegetable kitchen scraps, lawn clippings, egg shells, coffee grounds, tea leaves and sheep pellets.
Avoid adding: meat, dairy products or bread as these can attract unwanted pests. Don’t add any diseased plant material, to avoid spreading the disease.
A good rule of thumb is to add nothing larger than your little finger. Break up larger items like sticks, twigs and cardboard before adding them, to help them break down more quickly.
Layer materials evenly, making sure each layer is no thicker than 10cm. For every layer of backyard and garden waste, add a layer of kitchen waste material.
To help get the composting process underway you can add some existing compost to each layer. Add a little water with each layer and mix the material every few additions.
Put a lid on your compost bin to enable it to decompose quickly. Mix your compost regularly. It is compost when it is dark brown and smells earthy - it takes six to eight weeks to fully mature.
USING COMPOST IN YOUR GARDEN
Compost has a variety of benefits when used in your garden. It replaces nutrients that have been removed during a growing season, improves soil structure and increases the amount of oxygen available to plants.
Compost also conditions soil, improves moisture retention, increases earthworm activity and improves fertiliser use by plants.
For best results compost should be dug into the soil. Don’t plant directly into compost as this can burn plant roots.
The content of your compost bin should have the consistency of a damp sponge. If your compost gets a bit too wet, adding paper will help soak up excess water.
Apply 100g (approximately 10 tablespoons) of Tui Compost Enhancer per square metre to help speed up compost decomposition and keep away flies.
Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
Do you think drivers should be required to take a quick driving theory test every 10 years?
Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱
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49.5% Yes
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48.6% No
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1.9% Other - I'll share below
Tai Chi October - December 2024
Hi, I'm Andrew Hardwick, Tai Chi Instructor and member of NZ National Tai Chi Chuan Association Incorporated (NZNTCCA). The name of my wellness-focussed Tai Chi class is Not Strictly Tai Chi. The quirky name is a humorous twist on the name of shows like "Strictly Come Dancing", and from the fact that (a) I'm not strict and (b) If I see an exercise I think would provide a health benefit to my Tai Chi students, I will add it to my class offerings.
My Upper Hutt venue is Te Kupenga o Rongomai - Maidstone Sports Hub. Classes are in school term times only, and are open to all ages.
So far in 2024 we've had ages ranging from Mums attending while their kids are at school, through to retired people looking for healthy exercise.
No experience necessary. Experienced and beginners equally welcome
School Term 4 classes will be on the following dates
Wednesday evenings, from 7pm - 8pm
October 16th
October 23rd
October 30th
November 6th
November 13th
November 20th
November 27th
December 4th
December 11th
December 18th
Thursday mornings, from 10am - 11am
October 17th
October 24th
October 31st
November 7th
November 14th
November 21st
November 28th
December 5th
December 12th
December 19th
Enquiries welcome on 021 153 2508
Andrew Hardwick - Tai Chi Instructor
Here's Thursday's thinker!
I am lighter than air, but a hundred people cannot lift me. What am I?
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