Rod Weston

Would you like a speaker for a Compost related talk to your Garden Club, Allotment Society or any other group? Free talks are offered across the midlands on a wide range of composting topics suitable for those new to composting or experienced composters.

In the light of publicity relating to Food Waste generated by supermarkets and at home our talks on Food Waste have been revised so that they cover a wider range of options for the composting of uncooked and cooked food at home and for cafes, community centres, schools and businesses.

 Contact Rod at carryoncomposting1@gmail.com 

Some of the Societies and groups that have hosted composting talks:

Garden Clubs:

Belton, Braunston in Rutland, Collingham, Cross Lanes Farm, Doveridge, Hampton in Arden, Hemlock, Hilton, Hopwas, Houghton and Wyton, Keyworth, Letworth District,Ruddington Gardeners Assoc., Rugby Gardeneres Guild, Rutland Horticultural, Stathern Horticultural, Sutton Bonington Horticultural Soc., Swadslincote, Tilstock , Thurnby and Bushby, Thurcaston & Cropston, Tollerton,  Welford, Whissendine,Glenfield U3A, Leicester U3A, Marden Garden Club.

Black Country Fuchsia Society, Cottage Garden Society East Midlands,  Hardy Plant Society Worcester Group.

Allotment Societies: Aylesbury Lane Allotment Association, Collerton Poor Close, Narborough & Littlethorpe, Nuneaton Federation,  Ollerton & Boughton, Swanwick, Stanwick Allotment Society, Weedon Bec, 

Schools: Mercenfield Primary School, Great Dalby Primary, Howard Primary, Parkland PrimarWelwyn Hatfield Council Allotment meeting,y, St John Fisher Wigston,   Sheepy Magna Primary, Swannington' Wymeswold Primary

Childrens events at Libraries (2018 session): Market Harbouough, Hinckley, Coalville, Glenfield, Melton,  Oadby, Berstall and Wigston - Compost Creatures and making Rotbots

Carers Groups: Bagworth, Coalville Carers, Earl Shilton, Hinkley Carers, Market Harborough Carers, Loughborough Carers

Shows and Events: East Midlands Airport Big Green Week, Burton on the Wolds Plantation Anniversary, Food Gusto Ashby de la zouch and Appleby Magna, GE (Oil and Gas) EHS Safety and Environmental Days, I Love Market Harborough Festival, Snibston Miners Gala events, Hinkley Probus Club, , Brocks Hill Country Park, Coalville Food and Drink Festival, Coalville Twenty 12, Coalville Party in the Park, Christmas in Coalville, Friends of Leicester Botanic Garden, NWLDC Compost Roadshow,  Featherstone Community Orchard Leicester, St Davids Fellowship, Ashby Farmers Market, Castle Donington Farmers market,Bosworth Farmers Market, Energy Saving and Eco fair Hilton,  Osgathorpe Rainbow Fun Day, Grass roots festival Appleby,, Saffron Acres Harvest Event, Loughborough Picnic in the Park, Bradgate Park Wildlife Weekend

 National Allotment Society area at Gardeners World Live

Composting Talks

 With a growing library of over 600 power point slides on composting topics Carryoncomposting can provide talks and training sessions designed to suit the particular needs of any group.

Composting at Home A fexible session that can be designed to suit the potential audience. Topics can include. History of composting, Reasons for composting (environmental & horticultural), Composting and climate change incl. Alternatives to peat based composts., Types of composting, traditional, bins & heaps, hot and cold systems. Composting – what and how, Greens and Browns getting the mix right, The composting rocess,  stages of composting and the organisms involved, winter composting.

Allotment  composting. Types of composting: trenches, heaps and bins, wormeries and bokashi systems. Locating the bin, home-made & commercially available bins. The composting process “greens” and “browns”. Harvesting and using compost. 

Plant and compost based liquid feeds-  A session for all gardeners. Use of perennial weeds to make plant feeds for the flower and vegetable gardener. Includes Dandelion,  Horsetail, Nettle, Comfrey,  and grass . Compost teas including aerated compost tea. 

Wormeries- Choice of composting worms. Care and location of wormery. Different types- dump and sort, stacking and DIY. Dog poo wormeries- range use and precautions (separate sessions on wormeries are also offered),

Food Waste composting and food digesters for  domestic and business use including village halls, community centres, residentaial homes, schools, cafes, office blocks: Bokashi bin, Green Cone, Johanna, Hotbin and Jora, 

Community Composting on Allotments Shared composting facilities for all allotment plot-holders on a site can offer advantages over each individual plot holder doing their own composting. This talk is recommended for those considering such a scheme.

Food waste  composting. Composting of raw and cooked food waste. Advice on improving your green footprint by composting at home and work using composters suitable for: Schools, offices, residential homes, cafes, restaurants and residential homes. The session can included information on Bokashi bins, the Green Cone food digester, Green Johanna, Hotbin, Jora, Ridan and Rocket ranges of composters capable of dealing with from 6 to 400 litres of waste each week right up to 1750 litres.

 Dog Poo Wormeries  The use of wormeries to convert with dog poo into compost for the flower garden. Session includes safety precautions and information on wormeries for single digs and up to wheelie bin size. 

Compost Creatures - from fruit flies to hedgehogs a slide presentation of  the creatures involved in the composting process, common and occasional visitors

Compost  Safari Workshop offered for scgools etc  in which compost can be searched using hand lens and microsrope to discover worms, earwigs, woodlice the smaller creatures found in the heap. .   

A comprehensive but light-hearted look at the top ten types and causes of garden accidents. Slips, trips, cuts, back injuries  and fires might be anticipated as being amongst the risks of gardening,  but can  you face Bill and Bens revenge accidents requiring hospital treatment involving flower pots. After laughing at the flowerpot men as children is your garden club or society ready to face the  number of  accidents  involving flowerpots each year!