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!

Friday, 27 November 2015

Visit to New Brewery Arts Cirencester

Monday, 16 November 2015

Cider making!

Bumper harvest this year. We picked hundreds and hundreds of pounds of apples.

This is just a selection!

I washed out loads of bottles

and apples ...

and then started to chop

Then we got busy with the scratter

and the press

End result - 70 l of cider

and some pasteurized juice.

Hard work, but well worth it :)

Wednesday, 4 November 2015

Tidy up time in the Polytunnel

So, it is that time of year, again. Where the plants in the polytunnel are beginning to look sad and there are hardly any fruits left to pick. Or where the shorter days means dampness and humidity and botrytis and moulds.

So ...time to pick the very last of the green peppers and tomatoes, to ripen inside the house on a sunny S facing windowsill.

And to have a good old clear up of the polytunnel!

I also washed a load of plant pots ready for 2016 growing season

While Compostman got busy using up some solar electrons cutting wood with the new electric chainsaw, He reports it is very handy and a lot easier to use on small stuff than the big petrol chainsaw.

Tuesday, 27 October 2015

FSA Conference

Back home after wonderful and inspiring FSA Conference at Condover Hall this past weekend :)

My skill share on Fri night - 3 hours of needle felting! Lots of lovely badges made smile emoticon

Excellent workshop at FSA conference 2015 with Kindlewoods. I made a drop spindle then carded fleece and spun some yarn smile emoticon More fibre lovelyness at‪#‎fsa2015‬

Carving a mushroom

Making art on Sunday :)

Farewell ceremony Sun afternoon. Was lovely :)

Thursday, 22 October 2015

Forest School Association Conference

Packing ready to go to ‪#‎fsa2015‬ Forest School Association FSA National Conference and AGM tomorrowsmile emoticon Am doing a craft session of crochet and needle felting so roving, yarn, hooks and stuff all sorted out. Also lots of cards for Celestine and the Hare to hand out if people are interested!

I packed a few brushes, rice bags and foams And much roving! Also a few needle holders of different sorts and the flower petal and leaf stencils to make the shapes

Also decanted and labelled various hedgerow vodkas, dehydrated fruit and veg and jams and chutneys ready for Hedgerow skill share at the weekend smile emoticon Damson and Blackcurrant vodkas are as delish as I remember - not so sure about the Tayberry vodka though. Oh well I expect someone will like it smile emoticon

smile emoticon

Bag on left is my weekend bag.Next to it is hedgerow booze and fruit leather etc samples. Big tkmaxx patchwork bag is all the craft stuff for the skill share I'm doing. Red rucksack is my waterproofs. Why do I have far more workshop stuff, than clothes ? ‪#‎fsa2015‬