Compost has been a popular topic for blog posts this month – who knew I’d ever type that statement!

Anyhow, now that I’m a compostista – being a fashionista is so last year! I thought I’d share the annual turning, sieving and mulching that happens this time of year.

I ran out of compost bay space at the end of October, so emptying the cooked bay was on the urgent list.  I started the sieving last week – graded grains make finer compost – I find that my furry friends bring in bits of plastic, presumably to waterproof their nest, but I don’t want it back on the beds.

Today I finished mulching – I’m still surprised how much compost it takes to cover a bed.

Black gold

In previous years, that would be the end of my composting activity and I’d simply start to fill up the empty bin, but ‘inspired’ by the various hot compost techniques I’ve been reading about, I decided to move the half cooked bins about.  It was a serious workout; I’ve now two full bays, covered and cooking – hopefully the contents will be ready for March.  Annoyingly, the empty bay and in-progress bay are at opposite ends so I predict another serious workout after Christmas – maybe good planning after all!

Compost bays before the turn – the middle two are now full