Compost

 If you are a keen gardener you'll know how expensive buying compost can be. It isn't everyone that has space for a compost bin so it's worth checking with your local 'green waste' collection to see whether some of the compost is made available to the public in your area. Tony collected a load the other day for me and I've just moved it all down into the utility area under the pergola. I've filled two full sized dustbins and topped up my raised beds. The only down side is that it's been sterilised so seems to be very dry and devoid of any life. It'll soon develop some though and is great as a seed starting compost or for top dressing pots and borders. I'll mix some with perlite or vermiculite and slow release fertiliser next time I pot on some house plants, it'll save me a small fortune. I also like to layer a full bin of it with grass clippings and kitchen scraps. It makes the most beautiful compost in a very short period of time and it's lovely to see it all coming back to life. In fact it never fails to surprise me just how much soil life quickly appears. I always take a little good garden soil and add it to the layered mix.  The worms seem to appear as if from nowhere.