Having a healthy, happy garden is one of Granny Mouse Country House & Spa’s pride and joy. And there are many ways to make that happen while also providing a range of environmental benefits. Recycling food and other organic waste products helps improve the health of the soil, reduce greenhouse gases and assist in lowering the impact of drought.
The compost bin is the most basic way of doing so. Anything that grows will decompose and, with a compost bin, it provides the perfect home to bacteria and decomposing organisms such as worms to work their magic. The decomposing matter, also known as black gold, is a compost rich in nutrition and can be used for your garden.
The benefits are huge, and it’s a fantastic way to recycle organic waste that we all generate at home or at the “Mouse House”. Composting at home allows us to divert some of that waste from landfills and turn it into something practical for our own back yards.
Some items that are perfect for the compost bin include eggshells, grass clippings, fruit and vegetables, uncoated cardboard, small pieces of uncoated paper, tea bags, nutshells, shredded newspaper, wood chips, house plants etc.
Please remember not everything can go into a compost bin, and the most obvious is food waste that creates smells that attract pesky insects such as flies, rats and a few neighbourhood strays i.e. mongoose. Some obvious food items that should never ever go into a compost bin include fish, meat and bone leftovers as these will start smelling really bad, very quickly, especially on hot humid days.
Another no-no is adding things like milk, sour cream, yoghurts or any dairy products. Fats too, whether used i.e. yellow grease, or not ever having been used. Also, don’t drop in any plants or wood that has been sprayed with chemicals, and that also goes for woods that have been painted, varnished or stained. This won’t make for a happy compost bin. More items that should not be added to the compost bin include insect and disease plants that you have pulled out of the ground as the pests will probably survive and then infect your other perfectly healthy plants. Weeds are another one, as that will then just take over your soil all over again. Lastly, and quite an obvious one, is dog or cat poop, as it will make it all hazardous and possibly include roundworms especially dogs faeces. Cats litter and faeces carry organisms that cause toxoplasmosis which is dangerous to pregnant women and can possibly cause injury to unborn children.
The Granny Mouse gardening team wish you a happy composting day!! And not only will you be enjoying a happy, healthy garden going forward but you will also be saving the planet one small step at a time.
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