The organic guide to ‘lazy’ composting
Composting is easy – but turning the heap (to speed up decomposition) or scooping organic material into a compost bin, can be back-breaking work. For the reluctant composter, there are some ‘lazier’ alternatives that allow the worms and microbes to do much of the work for you – while you reap the benefits of a nutritious soil conditioner.
The chop-and-drop method is the most basic example, where you simply cut back herbaceous perennials, chop them into little pieces and leave them where they drop. It’s a method increasing in popularity with professional gardeners for the way it helps reduce weeds and retain moisture, as well as providing habitats for wildlife.
Similarly, dead hedges, where deadwood is stacked in makeshift vertical piles, offers a large number of habitats and an easy, sustainable way to reuse clippings.
You might like to try making a hotbed. This uses the heat of the decomposition process to grow plants earlier in the season. The Victorians used it to grow melons and pineapples in their glasshouses.
If you have a bigger space, you could incorporate a hügelkultur bed. Loosely translated as ‘mound culture’, this method has been used since the 1960s to help decay large pieces of wood, reuse turf and use less bagged compost in growing beds.
Our expert composters have been trying out these methods in their own gardens and at our compost demonstration sites around the UK, and are keen to share their experiences. Not only will these techniques help you recycle organic waste materials but also, thanks to their self-sustaining layers, they’ll cut back on the need for artificial fertilisers. This is because nutrients will return to the soil, improving soil health and, in turn, plant health.
If you run a business, you’ll also need to make it your business to learn efficient ways to compost this year. New Simple Recycling legislation has made it mandatory that food waste is recycled – and rather than pay a fee to have this taken away at the kerbside, you could try one of these free recycling systems.
Make a hotbed 🔗
North Somerset Master Composter Claire Aston shows you how to make an easy hotbed system, which can be handy for limited space.
I often struggle to find enough space for composting in my small home garden, and in the past few seasons I’ve been experimenting with a hotbed in a metal raised bed. I assemble the bed during the spring equinox each year, and fill with layers of nitrogen-rich coffee grounds, seaweed and grass clippings. (You can use animal manure, but be sure to get it from a trusted source that doesn’t use herbicides or pesticides).
It’s recommended you aim for a depth of 75cm, which will give around two to three months of heat. Layer the materials thinly, with enough browns (such as autumn leaves, shredded paper or cardboard) to hold air in the structure and prevent any anaerobic spots building up in the centre.
I cover these ingredients with a 10cm layer of compost and then plant directly into it (though be careful if you’re using fresh manure as young seedlings can be damaged because of the higher-than-usual nutrient content).
It’s also possible to arrange trays of hardy vegetable seedlings on top. The heat from the composting materials helps aid growth and the whole bed is easily covered with fleece if a frost is forecast.
By midsummer, the level of the bed has shrunk by around one third, so I wait until the plants grown in situ have finished cropping and then I dig out the entire contents of this beautiful compost to mulch my garden. As a busy working mum, with limited time, I would recommend readers give hotbed composting a try.
Try the chop-and-drop method 🔗
North Somerset volunteer Master Composter Gemma Webb – who also runs an organic coaching, design and cut flower business (dialhillflowers.co.uk) – shares her tips for the chop-and-drop method.
As plant growth ramps up in the spring and summer, a little-and-often approach to taming thuggish plants and weeds makes for more enjoyable garden care. In addition, deadheading of flowering plants such as dahlias and calendula also promotes further flowering.
When undertaking these tasks, the ‘chop-anddrop’ method can be used. This is where you simply chop up the removed material and add it to the surface of the soil around plants. You can also chop up the green material using a mower or hedge trimmers. This dead plant material feeds the microbes and life in your soil, which in turn supports healthy plant growth and the garden ecosystem as a whole.
Alternatively, you can drop the green material onto bark-chipping paths. The material will break down quickly and, in several years, the path material will provide a lovely autumn mulch for planting beds, rich in microbes and structure-enhancing goodness.
Chop-and-drop is ideal when plants are in full growth. In autumn and winter, old stems often provide habitats for wildlife, so leaving seedheads and standing vegetation for shelter until early spring is best to support nature in your garden.
Create a dead hedge 🔗
This is a natural alternative to a boundary fence, utility screen or windbreak, and is suitable for all kinds of garden or allotment. A large proportion of woody material often ends up in green waste bins but it’s a valuable asset that can be reused.
To make one, drive two rows of vertical branches or stakes into the ground (these acts as the ‘hedge’ edges), and fill the gap with woody prunings, laid lengthways. Old Christmas trees can be a great addition! As the lower branches break down, new ones can be added at the top. Providing habitats for wildlife, its slow decomposition supports beneficial microbes, fungi and invertebrates that improve soil health. Located near a pond, frogs will also enjoy the shelter it provides.
Have a go at hügelkultur 🔗
For those with bigger gardens, Shropshire Master Composters Louise Lomax and Colin Muddiman share their experience of making a hügel bed.
We’ve been helping the children of Madeley Nursery School, Telford, with their composting – and experimented with a hügel bed in the front garden to get pupils involved in this interesting method of composting.
Hügel beds can be as big or as small as you want but the idea is to recycle materials you have to hand, and layer them on top of logs and branches. These decay, provide nutrients and act as a sponge for moisture.
The front garden at the school consists of rough grass, so we set about taking off the turf and digging down about 50cm. This was easier said than done, as the area hadn’t been touched since the nursery was built about 45 years ago.
Bricks and stones were in plentiful supply, plus the odd crisp packet (proof they don’t degrade), but once the trench was finished, we layered branches and rotting wood over the base.
Our next layer was the turf we had cut out, which was placed upside down; woodchip and leafmould followed. In practice, you can decide what goes into these levels, depending on what you have lying around.
We mounded up the ingredients and topped them off with peat-free compost and topsoil. This should be sifted into any cracks to avoid the pile drying out. Plenty of water was added while the bed was being constructed to speed up the decomposition process and we gave it all a good soak before covering.
It’s recommended to leave the hügel bed for several months so it can settle down, but we planted climbing beans, squash and tomatoes on top a couple of weeks after the bed was completed, and they grew well. Hügelkultur is a good method for schools, particularly where watering is a challenge during the school holidays.