Have you tried to start your own seedlings to have plants ready for planting when the frost has gone? Here are some tips from growing my own seedlings . Start with a sifted seedling mix (I use my own compost that gets sifted before adding to the seed trays). Make sure the mix is damp, not too wet. Some seeds, such as tomatoes, chilli and basil need under heat to germinate while the weather is still cold. For this I use an electric blanket which I cover with something to make sure it does not get wet from watering the seedling trays. The trays themselves I place onto some mellamine trays so that some water can be under the trays. ...
Composting is still possible if you have only a small garden or even a container garden. Most larger gardens make heaps of at least 1,5m x2m at the base and decompose through a heating and cooling process. However, you can achieve good compost on a much smaller scale as well. Get yourself some chicken mesh and build it into a cylinder of about 50 -80cm in diameter. Ideally, it should be 1m tall - and leave the top and bottom of the cylinder open. If you are doing this on a balcony, place a layer of newspaper underneath as a floor. Now proceed to simply add any kitchen vegetable scraps as they become available. If you can get hold of...
Composting is not too difficult. Here are some basic guidelines and you will successfully create good compost every time. There are 4 things required for making compost - Carbon (dry plant materials), nitrogen(green plant materials and fresh manure), water and oxygen. These elements just need to be assembled in the correct ratios and the composting process will happen by itself. Carbon makes up the bulk of the compost heap. In fact, you start off with a layer of at least 30cm thick. Start with a base of about 2m X 2m. The first layer can be slightly coarse such as small twigs and grassy materials. In areas that experience regular rainfall, the layer can be made up of even coarser...
