How to make a compost heap & party time!

Charlotte and Peter start piling the dry stuff

In November 2017 we made a compost pile and it got pretty hot. Over 43 degrees C even though it wasn't well insulated. It composted to less than half the volume in two weeks and later on we turned it into a new bay to mix up all the material and microbes and get more air into it for the microbes. The centre was already getting pretty well composted when we checked it again. Forward to July 2018 and we had another go. Charlotte gave Simone and Peter a tutorial on how to create the perfect heap.... Before we go into the method, here are two pics (the compost heap when we finished piling stuff up and after three weeks). Keep reading for step-by-step pictures of the process.

As you can see from the before and after pic above, our hot composting went reasonably well with layers of green matter containing lots of comfrey and dry matter from our slow compost heaps at a ratio of about 2-3 green to 1 brown and all watered in with horsetail tea (see principles below for explanation). The heap got pretty hot during the first week but then slowed, probably it needs more water but it was so dry we were using all our water supply for our plants. 

The heap reduced in size quite dramatically in three weeks. Calculating the change in volume it was 60% of its original size. We should now turn it into another bin putting the un-composted matter on the outside into the middle and adding our next batch of horsetail tea.This tea is our horsetail weedings which we collect in wheelie bins and then drown in water for several weeks to thoroughly kill off the horsetail and create an evil smelling brew full of wonderful microbes. 

In Permaculture design there are several principles and tips that keep designers on track when they're trying to create sustainable, or better still, regenerative systems. 

• One principle is "Produce no waste" and by dealing with our horsetail like this we avoid having to burn the horsetail or remove the horsetail from the site to be transported to the green waste depot.
• One tip is to think laterally - "The problem is the solution". Horsetail has been a real problem for this piece of land and this is why it was abandoned and so became available for us. It is very good at absorbing minerals from deep down in the soil, particularly silica. By collecting it and reusing it to make our compost it becomes an asset as we get a good brew to activate our compost heap plus all those minerals it accumulates from deep down end up in our compost to feed our crops.

Now for the step-to-step tutorial on how to make a 'fast' compost heap. The trick of good composting is to make a lasagne with layers of nitrogen rich material (eg. green leaves, manure) - carbon rich material (eg. woody and brown dead material) with water added in between layers so it is damp but not wet plus some wood ash sprinkled in as well to add more nutrients if possible. Charlotte started with the dry stuff, mostly leaves. Then we added green comfry leaves and other soft cuttings.

Then we water the layers. We use a trough and watering cans, no hoses for us! More dry stuff goes on the growing compost heap.

The heap is growing among its walls made of recycled wooden pallets. More green stuff now.

Watering the next layer, a lot of dry stuff with green stuff peeking out.

Another layer of green stuff, then more watering.

Back with the dry stuff now...

The heap is growing, hang on and you will see how tall it is at the end!

Voila', Simone takes a break from taking photos and collecting green matter to show how tall it is. Simone is 5 feet 1in or 156cm, the compost heap is taller.

We close the heap with a pallet and put old carpet offcuts on top.

This is not a musketeer brandishing a sword... it's a metal rod with a CD on top. This will act as thermometer. We will insert it into the heap and check it now and then. Read on for the party pics!

Party, party, party.....

Marlise, the painter of our pretty rocks holding a hobbit house during the party

Music and songs with Leanne and Rebecca at sunset

Getting darker, the fire pit is still burning on

Our fire pit, handy for marshmallow toasting

Keep following, we might be showing you a movie of our party night, watch this space!

Our Community Garden in July: drought attack!

We are having an exceptional summer with very little rain. Drought means all the grass in parks (and in our community garden) is turning into a straw yellow. We have a watering rota run by volunteers. Here are a few photos taken on a watering trip.

Our grass is turning yellow

The beans are growing on the recycled trampoline frame

These grassy areas are getting some water from the raised beds

We are covering up tender veggies to protect them from wildlife

Summer is coming! BBQ, bees and a visit from old friends

Lovely to see you again, John & Mary!

After a very cold spring we are seeing a bit of sunshine. Late in May we had a party, where former volunteers John and Mary paid a visit. John and Mary contributed a lot to the garden and we have missed them. They are now back to the US but we do hope to see them again... These photos were taken on Sunday 20 May. 

These lovely radishes went down a treat at our BBQ. Before the party started, we planted beans around the frame built with the discarded trampoline base. 

We have bees in our bug hotel! It is nearly fully booked. Spot the yellow ball, where a baby bee is nestled, awaiting its birth!

 The green roof on our black shed is doing very well. 

The BBQ awaits... We were too busy eating and chatting we forgot to take pics of the party!

May: a belated spring at Empty Common

The spring has finally arrived at the Empty Common so we have resumed a watering rota for the polytunnel. It has not been a very warm spring - the temperature goes up and down - and because of the protracted winter, some flowers and veggies are late. We certainly had a long season for daffodils and other bulbs. So compare and contrast the below picture from the end of April with a 'bleaker' photo taken in January...

Empty Common in late April

Empty Common in mid January

As you can see in the April photo, we have a new rainbow flag. Sadly our ECCG logo flag disintegrated during the winter. A lot of weeding has gone on. The cog garden between the woodland area and the mound was sorted out and seed potatoes were planted there. 

The keyhole bed in the photo abvoe was made from a trampoline frame saved from the dump. We will soon sow beans to grow up it. It is finally feeling like spring in the garden.

Last but not least, we have a link for the podcast about the Garden, courtesy of Cambridge 105. You can find it here. This is what the page looks like...

You can download the podcast. The whole programme is about an hour long and the Empty Common's slot is after 17 minutes, if you want to skip the other news items.

We are the talk of the town!

Empty Common talk at the University Centre

The weather has been unseasonably cold and we still have daffodils so late in the season! The Garden is going from strength to strength. The University's Architecture department will help with our project of building a meeting hut. Our coordinator is applying for funding and we are keeping our green fingers crossed! 

Gates Scholars came to work in the Garden in February and they might come back again. We had groups of students and garden enthusiasts visiting before, so if you are keen on giving us a hand, just get in touch or turn up on a Sunday from 10.30am.

A talk about the Empty Common Garden was held at the University Centre at a meeting of the group Newcomers and Visiting Scholars. These researchers often come with their families and they were interested to hear they can drop in on a Sunday and even join us during the time they are in Cambridge. 

Last but not least, a radio presenter from Cambridge 105 has visited the garden twice. A programme about the Garden will be broadcast soon and might be available online. Visit https://cambridge105.co.uk/ to find out more.

Last weekend's snow is melting and the garden is coming back to life. Rebecca, one of our volunteers, is a talented local artist. She has run a few workshops in the garden, painted our plain black shed, created signs and is now busy with pyrography work on wooden signs. 

During her last visit to the garden, she reported that wildlife was thriving. Lots of birds were out, including a charming egret by Vicar's Brook (pictured on the right). 


Agnes, another volunteer, did a bird count and sent it to the RSPB. She spotted:

- 1 robin
- 2 coal tit birds
- 1 song thrush.

Planning a meeting hut and another rude veg!

Members of the Empty Common Garden met with representatives of the University of Cambridge's Architecture Department to set up a competition to design a meeting hut. Thirty-seven first-year students took part. 

We discussed the right location for solar panels - possibly best on our black shed as it's vandal proof - and generally agreed that we need to keep costs down as much as possible. Among the things we considered is if we need a proper floor or if we can just put a layer of weed-suppressing mat; disabled access; a green roof; a service hatch for when we have events running in the garden; a porch or covered seating area and - last but not least - how easy it would be to build the hut. We also talked about having a small wood burner and low-power led lighting.

The students were given three weeks and last week we chose our six favourite designs.The meeting hut will allow us to gather, share skills and hold informal learning sessions. As we have run arts projects in the past, it would also be good to have some exhibition space on the walls, as well as a whiteboard and a small screen for projections. We would like to be able to accommodate seating for 20 people. Building materials should be sustainable, including timber, rammed earth, hempcrete, wattle and daub, straw bale, cob, glass bottles, cordwood.... We'll keep you updated on the project, so watch this space. 

On the growing front, we have been mulching the garden and done some serious weeding. Our main problem is no longer horsetail but comfrey - any little bits of root are making new plants and they are really difficult to shift. 

We are also going to manure the beds outside and inside the polytunnel. The days are getting longer and we have been harvesting cabbages and parsnips. We also planted a dwarf crab apple tree. Here is a photo of another rude veg... we are building a collection of these.