Next time you’re waiting for a tube, why not stick your nose in our compost bin?
Well, I know it’s probably not going to be the first thing on your mind as you’re waiting for your train in the morning but when you have time it’s definitely worth it!
Making your own compost is a small action that has big environmental benefits, you can turn food scraps into rich soil for your garden and in the process promote the flowers and seeds that our city bound insects and birds rely on. It’s fun for all the family!
That’s why the Kew Society’s gardening volunteers have been busy perfecting their composting skills at Kew Gardens station where as you may know they maintain the beautiful beds along the platforms.
To share their knowledge they’ve just put up signs designed and installed by our partner Energy Garden, with explanatory notes written by Kew Society Environment Trustee Dr. Sarah Clarke. They show the basic steps to making your own, the composting 1-2-3.
Composting 1-2-3 sign
Guided by Energy Garden’s Community Outreach Officer Callum Clancy, Kew Society gardening volunteers have been composting at the station for a couple of years.
Volunteer gardeners using the dual bin composting system at Kew Gardens Station
In October they renovated the compost bays, creating a second dual-bay compost system on the eastbound platform, matching that on the westbound platform. Willow screening has been added to make the bays look neater.
Dual bin composting system on the Westbound platform at Kew Gardens Station
In a two bay system only one side is in use for new material to be added to. The other bay is either full of compost and left to decompose ready for use in the garden or empty and ready to add new material to once the other one is full.
The bays are turned by the volunteers every 4-6 weeks, whether or not they are in use, to promote healthy conditions for decomposition. During winter cardboard is placed on top of the bays to help retain heat, meaning that the composting processes continues at an optimum temperature throughout the winter months.
According to Callum “The signs are designed to simplify the composting process and help us all to follow the correct steps when adding new material, which is key to producing quality compost for the platform gardens”.
So if you’re looking for hints about how to compost in your garden check out the signs the next time you’re at the station or read our simple to follow instructions here
If you find yourself with a few moments while your waiting for train or tube, just maybe you’ll want to stick your nose into one of the bins and smell the sweet aroma of mother nature at work!
To find out more about the work of our friends at Energy Garden click here
Dr. Sarah Clarke
Kew Society Environment Trustee
