The Compost Bin

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!

Tuesday, 12 May 2015

New hens

Welcome to Aggie and Kim the Marigolds, Ginger the Blacktail, Nightshade the Speckledy and Snowflake the Light Sussex.

We have set up a new enclosure for them so they don't get bullied by the Old Girls and they will stay separate for a couple of weeks to get used to us and the other chickens :)

Monday, 11 May 2015

Chicks?

Mini Pearl the rather grumpy-at-the-best-of-times Serama hen has gone broody. So she is now even more grumpy!

After leaving her for a couple of days with a rubber egg, just to make sure her broodiness was firmly established, I put a selection of hers and Mille Serama eggs under her. Molly ( the pheasant hen looking Serama) only lays wind eggs so none of hers would be fertile.

Mini Pearl is now ensconced in the cat carrier - in the lean to by day and brought in to the downstairs bathroom for night time.

We shall see what happens in 3 weeks time!

Wednesday, 6 May 2015

May Day BH 2

Then Sunday and Monday I was "just up the road" at The Big Apple Blossomtime event, where I had my usual Master Composter stall with plant sales and also Hens@Home with Algy and Millie again :)

And yes, I joined in the Morris Dancing, as usual :)

We had a lot of fun and I spoke to over 700 people in three days :) I was a bit tired by the end of the weekend, though.

Sunday, 3 May 2015

May Day BH 1

Today (Sat ) off to Hereford River Carnival to run a Hens@Home and LFHW stall as part of
h energy village

Horrible cold wet weather but I had fun and spoke to more than 230 people, so well worth going!

I took Algy and Millie Serama chickens to woo the crowds :)

Friday, 1 May 2015

A tidy garden and a full cold frame

@gabrielash

I have been mowing :)

and cleaning out hen houses :) And making lots of compost with the grass I cut and the chicken bedding :)

And digging out finished compost to put on the new raised beds :) And sowing seeds and pricking out plants and being ever so busy outside.

I have made some time to sit outside in the sunshine on the patio :) Which is still as lovely as it was last year :) And the Gabriel Ash coldframe is wonderful and proving so useful to have as a warm place to put plants before they finally go into the polytunnel. It looks good as well :)