Make your garden and kitchen waste disappear by burying it in a trench pit or post hole.  It is easy to compost your kitchen or garden waste  over the winter using a:

• Trench where you want to grow next year’s runner beans.  Start adding the waste at one end of the trench covering it with the soil as it is added. Some people dig a deeper trench so that a second layer of waste can be added but this will depend on the quantities of waste available and the number of rows of beans to be grown. When the waste has been covered the soil is likely to have made a small mound along the length of the trench, but this will settle by the time of planting.
• Pit (or pits) where it is planned to grow marrows or squashes  and
• Post holes amongst permanent planting to give the ground an additional  boost digging  holes where space allows in the garden. At the simplest level, a spade or post hole digger can be used to make an  8-12" deep  hole, the width of the hole can be varied to suit the volume of waste which should be buried at  least 4" deep below the surface. Deeper if there are large creatures likely to dig it up. 

The “chop and drop” method simply  involves chopping the waste into small pieces with a spade, digging a post-hole  in the garden,  dropping the waste into the hole, giving it a final chop in situ, and  covering with  soil. It is sensible to mark the spot with a small stake when rotating  the sites round the garden.  If using fresh green garden waste, it can be covered with  a layer of straw before the soil is replaced to help retain more of the nitrogen.

Usually when making a larger temporary pit a hole is dug to a depth of about twelve inches or for ease of working this may be one spit (the length of the spade blade).The size of the hole may be about three feet wide or be varied depending on the quantity of waste available for composting.  In a temporary pit a 3-4-inch mixed layer of organic material is added to the bottom of the pit. If vegetable gardening in rows it may be helpful to make the pit the same width as the row normally used. 

More details at http://www.carryoncomposting.com/443725787

It is the time of year when community composters may be faced with a wide variety of materials submitted to be composted. Today working down the reception bin,  we had what I imagine will be the last of the tomato plants along with dahlias, which had helpfully been cut to a suitable length, along with the normal weeds. However, as I worked my way down the bin I came to a quantity of chrysanthemum  flowers, followed by cabbages  and when exploring the lower reaches of the bin found some large pumpkins  cut into sections hiding under general plant waste. They most have been put in the bin after Halloween and where then covered by the  other waste. It was fair to say that decomposition had started!  Layered with a cardboard and woodchip they are now cut to length and starting to work nicely in the third of the season working bins which will probably be filled tomorrow. We have had a batch of conifer wood ship which includes a good proportion of shredded leaves  and I am using some of this sandwiching the pumpkin layer to see if it hides the quite strong smell of what went into the bins and quite smelly pumpkin. Next in line are a range of brassica stalks and a couple of stems of spouts. For the first time I have one of the reception bins empty and the other less than half full.  

If you have an interest in composting using a wide range of bins and materials, live in the Leicester / Leicestershire and would like to be involved in the Demonstration site and training programme once vaccination has become wide spread please contact carryoncomposting1@gmail.com

Allotment  Community Composting sites offering a composting service to all of the allotment plot holders with open access to the reception bins so that material can be dropped off at any time are convenient for   individual plot holders. As they  provide  an additional service to those  who do not have the time or interest in converting  their waste to compost.   I am aware that over the years a number of other community schemes, that initially operated under a similar system, have had to introduce physical controls such as fences and gates to  limit drop off times to when supervision is available to prevent participants abusing the system.  

During the most recent  lockdown we have experienced problems caused by  an increase in the amount of waste and members ignoring signage, overfilling the reception bins so that waste is spread across the paths, dumping waste in bins  labelled not for use, and removing   barrier tape positioned to prevent access to the working bins on the site. In addition,  unsorted uncut waste has been dumped in bins that are in use, where waste has been cut to size and layered, resulting in time been wasted  as the bins have to be  part emptied and relayed.

I would be interested in whether  others have encountered problems of this type and  how they have dealt with this situation.

Autumn leaves provide a crop of compostable material that is available for only a short time each year. If your garden or allotment is near deciduous  trees do not let this bounty go to waste. The local council may be prepared to let you harvest leaves from your local recreation ground or park. It is estimated that over 50,000 tonnes of leaves are collected from parks each year

In general, as leaves take a longer time to breakdown,  in the UK, they are treated separately to make leafmould but in other countries they are recognised as an easily stored source of Browns that can be added to the compost bin.

Most autumn leaves are an excellent source of carbon but depending on species may be slower to compost than the rest of the material in the bin if using cold composting techniques  so they should be added with plenty of greens. Dry autumn  leaves have a  C/N ratio averaging about 60, but ranging from 20-100,   providing an excellent source of browns over the winter  to give balance to the  nitrogen rich kitchen waste that will continue to be produced throughout the winter months

Leaves  should be shredded, if possible, either using a shredder, or by mowing on the lawn, and mixed well when added to the compost bin otherwise they may matt and form a barrier to the circulation of air within the bin. If using a New Zealand bin, they can be added as a layer of browns  and mixed as part of the normal aeration by turning.

Making Leafmould

 Leaves have traditionally been contained in a wire netting cage or wooden compost bin when making leafmould. As with composting larger bins work best so try to make the container at least a  metre square. Simply fix the chicken wire to four posts with galvanised fencing staples. If there is a good supply of leaves opt for a three-bin system so that the leaves from  different years and stages of decomposition  can be kept apart. The bottom of the bin can be lined with weed suppressant or cardboard.

 Second-hand builders' bulk bags can also be used to make leafmould, they are permeable allowing excess moisture to drain away. Some people support the corners of the bag with stakes. The bag will be very heavy when filled so the bottom can be cut out so that it can be lifted off the leafmould when it is ready others regard the bag as disposable and cut the front open to harvest the leafmould. The lids will help retain moisture in dry weather and prevent the contents becoming waterlogged during wet periods.

  For best results the pile should be checked during hot or dry periods and watered if necessary, to  keep leaves damp.

Perhaps the most used method is to fill a large plastic bag with wet leaves, stab it with a garden fork and leave for two years.  Grass and urine can be used to speed the process. There are more details at http://www.carryoncomposting.com/142941489

Good leafmould  has an earthy, dark brown texture and the smell will remind you of a woodland floor in spring or early summer.

 Leafmould can be used as :

• A mulch, it is very effective at retaining moisture being able to hold up to 500 times its own weight, increased their water-holding capacity  of the soil by  almost 50 percent.
• A soil conditioner, reducing the soil density and making easier for roots to penetrate the and absorb nutrients, 
• A potting mix or seed compost and as
• A renewable peat substitute

It can be used after a  year, when the leaves are beginning to break down and the material is  easily crumbled, as a soil improver or  mulch around shrubs, in the flower or vegetable garden.  It can also be used as a lawn top dressing in the Autumn.

However, it is best  kept for two years  or more until it is  dark brown in colour,  crumbly  with no real trace of original leaves visible.