Hello and welcome to The Compost Bin. I'm Compostwoman and I live with my family in rural Herefordshire. We have nearly four acres of garden and woodland, all managed organically and to Permaculture principles, which we share with Chickens, Cats and assorted wildlife. We also grow a lot of our own food, run courses in all sorts of things and make a lot of compost!

I am a Master Composter and have spent more than a decade as a volunteer Community Compost adviser with Garden Organic and my local Council.
I'm a self employed Environmental Educator so I run workshops and events where I talk about compost, veg growing, chicken keeping, cooking, preserving and sustainable living. I also run crafts workshops and Forest School/outdoor play sessions in our wood.

We try to live a more self sufficient lifestyle here, as best we can, while still having a comfortable life and lots of fun.


To learn more about us click on the About Compostwoman tab and remember to click on the photos to make them full size!


Monday 24 June 2013

Wilderness


A few photos of the wilderness which is our garden :)


Uncut grass and wildflowers on the lawn


There are three main patches of wildflower meadow in the garden area - we will scythe these when the flowers have set seed and then I will mow them again as normal lawn, but for now they are wild and wonderful :)



lots of wildflowers in the flower beds


Moving out into the woodland area the Elderflower is in full bloom now - I need to get on and make cordial!


Walking up the mown path in the pool wildflower meadow




One of the many nettle beds - nettles are very valuable to insect life as well s being a great compost fertility booster


At the back of the polytunnel is a comfrey bed, mixed with a very rambling rose it is smothered in bumblebees and other insects.



And the bumblebee nest on the garage wall is getting buzzier and buzzier (!)


I am making a new bee attracting flower bed and also sowing lots more wild flower seed everywhere - I aim to make Compost Mansion and the garden and grounds as wildlife friendly as I possibly can.

6 comments:

  1. It seems that someone has told the bumble bees that bird boxes are a good place to nest this year. We have a couple here and as beekeepers, we have had several calls from people wanting help to get rid of bees in their bird boxes We won't of course and assure folk that they will not be bothered by them.

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  2. Bombus hypnorum - its a new ish Bumblebee which has gradually moved across from Europe to the UK - and it is the Tree Bumblebee - and likes nesting in holes in trees - which of course is what a nest box looks like :-)

    My next post has a brilliant photo of the entry hole, with guard bees :-)

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  3. So many lovely wildflowers and buzzy bees... love it :o)

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  4. How do you harvest the honey from a nest. I spin or heat to remove from a frame type hive. I have never seen these in the USA. Just curious. xoxoxo

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    Replies
    1. They are wild Bumblebees Little Messy Missy not Honey bees :-)

      They don't make stores of honey as such, as only the new Queens survive the winter. All the workers die off at the end of the summer.

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Hello! Thank you for reading my blog and for commenting. I try to reply as quickly as I can and I really appreciate your interest in my life and doings here in The Compost Bin.

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