The Composting Demonstration site at Stokes Wood Allotments Leicester has started operations  using garden waste from plot holders and the cooked food from the breakfast club. Over the next few weeks it is hoped to get most of the bins operational so that there will be compost in various stages of preparation for the 5^th  May Opening Event.

The next stage is to seek donations of more bins so that we will have a wide range on display and start the Composting and Plant liquid feed areas. If anyone is interested in joining the project please email carryoncomposting1@gmail.com.  Ideally the volunteers will be Master Composters but enquiries from all of those interested in helping would be welcomed.

Seed balls, or compost balls are used for “seed bombing” where the balls are thrown, dropped by hand   or even from the air into the area where they are to germinate .  They also provide a means of sowing wild flowers in school grounds and allotment sites  neglected areas of towns and cities. As part of Compost Awareness Week Stokes Wood Allotments in Leicester will be providing workshops in making Seed balls on the afternoon of 5^th May

The conventional Speedball is  made by  rolling the  seeds in a ball of  compost which is coated with a layer of  wet with the compost and clay acting as a carrier for the seeds so they can be thrown into inaccessible areas. Each seed ball provides the seed(s) with a mini ecosystem.   However, as this technique  will normally require the purchase of clay, we use  an alternative  suitable using flour instead of clay.  The completed balls  are then placed, or more often thrown into the garden or  ground, where it is hoped the plants will grow. dissolve.

I normally make speedballs in groups of 16 – 20 children with each child making three balls if they are paying to participate and making the bombs to take away at the end of the session. However, if  the plan is to seed bomb a school garden each student  may only make one bomb  and the bombing can take place in small teams with each team bombing a marked off section of the garden. When the seeds have germinated the students can see how effective they have been in covering the whole of the target area.

More details on speedballs go to http://www.carryoncomposting.com/441149735. And on the Stokes wood Demonstration Site Compost Week activities http://www.carryoncomposting.com/441149731

The Stokes Wood composting demonstration site   has now been Registered for:

• T23: Aerobic composting and associated prior treatment,
• T26: Treatment of kitchen waste in a wormery,
• U11: Spreading waste to benefit non-agricultural land and
• U12: Using mulch.

We started three  of the bins, a Hotbin and 220 litre and 330 litre  bins, available from Get Composting under the Leicestershire and Leicester City Council scheme, this morning using spout stalks and leeks left in one of the Reception bins (photo)  by plot-holders together with a little catering waste from the café.

We still have more bins to add to the site in the months before it is officially opened as part of Compost Awareness Week.

Visitors are welcome to drop by on Wednesday mornings when the café is open for drinks and breakfasts

The www.carryoncomposting.com  page on Liquid Feeds  made from plants  has been updated and now includes Comfey, Dandelion, Grass Cuttings, Horsetail, Nettles and Seaweed Plant Liquid Feeds. 

We have given Compost Teas a separate page   Compost Teas  to make searching easier.