The Ins and Outs of Compost

Do you fancy yourself as a bit of a wildlife fanatic? It’s often tempting to be adventurous, explore wild places and seek out the big, the feathery and the furry...BUT at the bottom of most gardens is one of the most important and biodiverse ecosystems!

Almost HALF of food waste in UK rubbish tips could have been composted - which would have quietly (but vitally!) contributed to local food webs and upheld the wildlife that we know and love. Compost is a remarkable substance resulting from the decay of organic material such as kitchen scraps, weeds, shredded paper, leaves, and other things we otherwise would just throw away. Not only does it work wonders in your garden to enrich the soil but its also reduces waste which is good for the planet!

For my latest blog, I shoved my head in the bin and appreciated some pretty sick critters, as they work round the clock to transform our waste for the better.

Worms are what we call active composters. They aerate the soil and bring nutrients to the surface! They have both male and female parts and are what as know as hermaphrodites but unlike a garden snail they cannot mate with themselves.

Woodlice are common permanent residents of the general compost area and are the only true land-living crustacean that crave moisture found in composts. They adore damp, dark nooks and crannies with access to rotting plant matter.

So a compost bin is pretty much a ‘mecca’ for any invertebrate. All these critters come to enjoy the banquet of moist, rotting goodness that you've set out. The vigorous action of hungry bugs can help aerate the material - the bugs tunnel as they eat. They can even help warm a cool pile in their enthusiastic zeal to consume.

These creatures find your compost on their own. As they grow, eat, and excrete, they boost the populations of bacteria and fungus in compost. Fungi and bacteria are essential in the degradation process.

Bugs around the bin can also be an excellent food source for birds. Wild birds linger in your richly populated garden and stand ready to help with summer pests. If you fancy yourself some extra garden company, chickens go crazy over highly nutritious grubs and larvae harvested from compost and can provide you with some delicious eggs.

Bugs are part of the ecosystem that turns your waste into a valuable soil additive. None of them are highly dangerous to humans, except in the rare case of a bee allergy. If you can get over the ick factor, you may come to appreciate the benefits of a healthy bug population in the compost bin.