DORSET COUNCIL COMPOST BIN OFFER

The Recycling Team, Dorset Council

Now that we’re moving into spring, it’s the perfect time to think about making compost for our gardens, hanging baskets and window boxes.

Composting is great for the environment. It improves soil - helping to create healthy plants and reducing the need to water and fertilise. It’s easy to make, can save money and you only need a small outdoor space.

Dorset Council is offering compost bins at prices as low as £6 and there is an extra buy-one-get-one-halfprice deal (plus delivery). This is for a limited number of bins so hurry whilst the offer lasts! See getcomposting. com for details.

Free compost bins are also offered to schools. We offer up to two compost bins and two caddies, plus a visit from a team member. Visit dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/ recycling for more details.

Good things you can compost include teabags, plant prunings, cut flowers, vegetable peelings and fruit waste (add citrus peelings sparingly). You can also add cardboard egg-boxes and scrunched-up paper. These provide fibre and carbon and also allow important air pockets to form in the mixture.

Twigs, grass clippings and leaves can also be added, but they will take a long time to break down if large quantities are added at one time.

The compost is ready when it’s brown and crumbly. Dig into the soil in early spring or late autumn to improve the soil structure and act as a slow-release fertiliser.

Open Monday-Saturday 9.00am-6.00pm, Sunday 10.00am-4.30pm (tills open at 10.30am)

Castle Gardens, New Road, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5NR www.thegardensgroup.co.uk @thegardensgroup

It’s time to get growing

As the daffodils and snowdrops bloom, March is the time to sow a variety of vegetable seeds both indoors and straight outside.

Beetroot, carrots, onions, peas, radishes, chard and more can be sown in March, while fast-growing crops like lettuce and spinach can be sown in intervals from this month onwards.

You can also chit your seed potatoes on a windowsill and plant these out at the end of March, following a planting guide to get the best crop.

01935 814633 castle@thegardensgroup.co.uk