Live & Grow Issue 50

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Composting Made Easy TIP Keep Out: borage, meat scraps, corn husks, large branches, wet grass, whole potatoes, nasturtium or anything that seeds readily. 16
Cold Composting Cold composting, also known as passive composting, is a method of composting where organic material is piled up and left to decompose on its own without the use of added heat or active management. However, it may take longer for the materials to decompose than the hot composting method. I use the method of cold composting at home because it's a breeze. It requires little work to set up and almost no maintenance or monitoring opposed to hot composting, which requires some attention. You would have heard the term green and brown waste used a lot, and this is what is required for your compost to thrive. Green waste: is high in nitrogen, such as food scraps, lawn clippings, egg shells, cooled ash and coffee grounds. Brown waste: is carbon-rich, such as leaf litter, torn cardboard, dried-out paper bags, animal fur, crunchy leaves and pea straw. Higher proportions of brown waste will help keep the cold compost from becoming too wet and promote air circulation. So, aim for one third green waste and three quarters brown waste, which will aid in the decomposition process and prevent the pile from becoming solid and smelly. However, if the compost becomes too dry, you can add water. Set-up I have set mine up using a large slatted, wooden crate, but you could use four pallets and place the unit directly in part shade. I placed a 10 cm layer of pea straw at the base and started layering my waste. I keep adding more waste weekly, and I love watching the pile decompose and decrease in size month by month. I also throw in a few handfuls of garden lime and blood & bone twice a month to help it decompose quicker. However, it is not necessary. Worm Towers If you don't have the space for cold composting, try a Tui Worm Tower. The Tui Worm Tower is an in-ground composting system that allows you to recycle kitchen scraps into your garden bed in an urban setting. Your existing garden worms in the tower feed on the organic matter, breaking it down into rich nutrients that can naturally fertilise your plants. This is a great way to create healthy soil and reduce waste in your kitchen. The Tui Worm Tower is designed to be easy to assemble and use. It can, hold up to 1,000 worms. You can place multiple towers throughout your garden too! The worm tower is designed to feed and attract your existing earthworm population in your garden. 1. Choose a position for your Tui Worm Tower, preferably in the middle of your garden bed. 2. Bury the worm tower into the soil, leaving the top flared section exposed. 3. In the base of the worm tower, place a bedding of premoistened strips of newspaper, leaf matter, straw and compost. 4. If you find a clump of existing earthworms in your garden, place them on to the bedding to speed up the process. However, they will eventually find their way into the tower and travel back and forth through the feeding holes to deliver nutrients directly to the roots. 5. Start layering your kitchen scraps into the tower. The worms will process the matter quickly if diced small, as opposed to a whole apple. 17
Page 1 and 2: IN THIS ISSUE... Grow and nurture y
Page 3 and 4: Welcome Back Welcome back to issue
Page 5 and 6: Easy Growing with Oyster Mushrooms
Page 7 and 8: Microgreens Despite their size, the
Page 9 and 10: Pruning Olives require pruning to k
Page 11 and 12: garden beds #1 #2 Tomatoes, eggplan
Page 13 and 14: Sprouts Sprouting is possibly the m
Page 15: Safely Feed Your Feathered Friends
Page 19 and 20: Peperomia Leaf Cuttings There are o
Page 21 and 22: 4 6 5 We have selected bold foliage
Page 23 and 24: Easy Mix: Sphagnum Moss or Fern Fib
Page 25 and 26: Recent Release Helleborus Petticoat
Page 27 and 28: Rejuvenate Your Lawn With Tui After
Page 29 and 30: PREP The best advice is to do it ri
Page 31 and 32: X-It Ant We all know someone dealin
Page 33 and 34: Shrub & Tub A well-balanced, high-q
Page 35 and 36: Use soil improvers - When used regu
Page 37 and 38: Our top three hedge choices Eucalyp
Page 39 and 40: We love perennials because they hav

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