Do you have a garden? Do you enjoy gardening with all the joys of spring, summer, and fall? When winter comes around, it can be hard to find ways to eliminate all your plant waste.
Don’t worry! This post describes the easiest way to get rid of your garden waste so that everything looks fresh and new for next year’s season.
- Compost It
Composting is nature’s way of recycling. It involves taking garden waste and decomposing it into rich, black compost, which can be used in your garden to provide food for the plants and keep them healthy.
Compost bins are widely available, and there are many different types – from large commercial units which cost hundreds of pounds to small homemade units that are quite inexpensive.
Make sure you use the correct type as not all compost bins allow air circulation (and remember worms like air) while others do not allow water to drain away (also remember microbes need water).
- Use It As A Mulch Layer On Your, Perennials
Perrenial plants are great because you only need to plan regularly to turn the content back year after year, producing a new flush of growth each spring. However, they can be very hungry and require a lot of organic matter to flourish.
A great way to provide a rich food source to them is by using your garden waste as a mulch layer. Cut it up into small pieces before laying it around the base of your perennials in an 8-10cm thick layer, with the top of the pile being level with the soil surface. You can use an old bread knife to cut the waste up as this won’t damage your pruners.
Don’t worry about it looking messy; leaves and twigs will decompose within a couple of weeks and provide your perennials with a rich source of food. When you lift back the mulch in autumn, you can compost it or use it as a top dressing for your vegetable plot.
- Lay It Around Your Perennials As A Weed Barrier
Mulching with garden waste is also a great way to keep down weeds as the stems and leaves will prevent light from reaching many of the weeds below, meaning they eventually die out.
The mulch will eventually decompose and provide your perennials with all the nutrients they need to survive.
- If You Don’t Have Perennials, Apply It To Your Vegetable Plot Instead
If you don’t have any perennials in your garden, why not apply them to your vegetable plot instead? Many commercial fertilizers are expensive and contain chemicals that can irritate the skin.
Garden compost or homemade manures are much kinder alternatives that give your plants plenty of food to grow healthy and strong.
Mix it into the top few inches of soil in your vegetable plot to provide food for your plants, keep down weeds and prevent water loss from the soil during hot summer days.
A 2-3 inch layer is usually more than enough, although they will require a much deeper layer if you are planning on growing potatoes.
- Use It As An Ash Replacement For Your Annuals
If you have garden waste that contains ash, then it’s great as an alternative to using purchased fertilizers for many of your annuals. It can be dug into the top few inches of soil to help control pests, nourish the soil and give them all the necessary nutrients to grow strong and healthy.
- Tea Your Shrubs
A great way of nourishing your shrubs is by making up a ‘tea.’ It’s very easy to do and will help provide them with food throughout the year. Fill an old dustbin with garden waste (avoid using thorny branches) and allow it to rot down for around six weeks or so.
Once it’s ready, remove the top few inches of soil from around your shrubs and apply the beneficial tea, which can be used instead of expensive fertilizers.
- Use The Wood Ash To Fluff Up Your Compost Heap
Wood ash is often overlooked when you want to improve your compost heap, but it contains many valuable nutrients that can help break down green garden waste into nutrient-rich compost.
Sprinkle a thin layer over the top of your existing compost heap and work it into the surface to stop it from blowing away during windy days and to stop it from pilling up in heavy lumps.
It contains potash and lime, which break down the greenery much faster than if you were not to add anything.
- Make Your Lawn Fertilizer Tea
Mixing your lawn fertilizer with water and using it as tea is a great way to provide food for your established lawn. This helps release the nutrients and break down the chelated iron, preventing them from leaching away through rain or irrigation run-off.
Add around 1 liter of water to every one cup of fertilizer and work it into the soil every month until autumn, when you should stop applying it in preparation for winter.
- Use It To Feed Your Composting Worms And Other Beneficial Microbes
When adding garden waste to your compost heap, make sure you also include things like fruit peelings, eggshells, etc., as they are very rich in nutrients that help nourish your composting worms and other beneficial microbes.
- Hire a skip
If you don’t have enough space in your bin for all your garden waste, it will need to be disposed of separately. This means the garden has to be cleared out before the skip can be collected, which requires a lot of time and energy. If you want to hire a skip, all you have to do is place your waste into the skip, and it will be collected for you. Check the source here.
Most people can’t wait to get their garden waste out of the way. That feeling is normal because you will be able to put your yard tools away, have a clear space for other projects and enjoy summer without all that clutter. We believe that these nuggets will help you get rid of your garden waste.
How else do you get rid of your garden waste? Share your insights in the comments section below.
