Composting Demonstration site Stokes Wood Allotments

As a Leicestershire Master Composter keen on promoting composting I have managed a Composting Demonstration Site in the County for a number of years. This was originally hosted at the Leicester County Council Snibston Discovery Park and Museum but unfortunately the Discovery Park was closed by the Council.

You can also see some of the Sibston composting site on Cbeebies https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03yzcht/mr-bloom-here-and-there-series-1-17-composting

We moved the Composting demonstration to the University of Leicester Botanic Garden in 2015 and had hoped that this location would enable us to reach a larger number of gardeners and other visitors with an active interest in composting. However, the closure of the cafe at the end of the summer of 2015 meant that waste food was no longer available on site and it was decided to move to new venue.

We have now moved to Stokes Wood allotment site in Stokes Drive, Leicester and are open to the public between 10-12 on Wednesday mornings, when the site breakfast club is open, this offers the chance to see the site and have a good old fashioned English breakfast.

The Stokes Wood composting demonstration site has been Registered for:

T23: Aerobic composting and associated prior treatment,
T26: Treatment of kitchen waste in a wormery,
U11: Spreading waste to benefit non-agricultural land and
U12: Using mulch.

The site pavilion is available for hire by Garden Clubs, Allotment Societies and Schools for composting workshops and talks which include a tour of the site. It can also be hired for other events.

To keep up to date with progress on the composting site and composting events as well as additions to this website follow us on facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carry-on-Composting

We installed a new a Rowlinson Beehive composter kindly donated by GardenSite has been installed. https://www.gardensite.co.uk/garden-structures/composters/ Composters from GardenSite"

Hozelock have kindly donated a Plant Food maker and a Bokashi bin which will be dispalyed in the shed when the interior has been painted https://www.hozelock.com/product-category/natural-gardening/ We are currently displaying these on our event stand.

Donations of compost bins and equipment are welcomed.

Slideshows

We have two separate slide shows on this page. The slides are presented in groups of five. Once you have seen one set just move down the page to the next.

The first batch shows a group of composters being given a tour including a session on making seedballs and a compost safari in the pavilion.

In the second group we show the individual bins and exhibits.

One the next page we will be showing part of the community composting work where gaden waste from the siteis composted using pallet bins.

Painted bins with the pallet Reception bins

1. Entrance to the site

Aerobin 400 on the right

Liquid feeds and cooked food composters

Hotbins, Jorra and green Johanna

Beehive and plastic bins

Move down the page for the next 5 slides

An introduction to the site

Tumbler bins the large Mantis is just in shot

Comparison of Beehive and 220l plastic bin

Tumbler bins

Take a photo to remember the visit

Move down the page for the next 5 slides

Wormery Section

Worm bins

Can-o-worms and dog poo wormery

Making seed balls

This is one of the activities we can offer to schools, cubs and other groups

Compost Safari in the hall

The compost safari is normally held in the hall as it involves using microscopes

Pallet bins Reception and Community Composting

See photos below for more information on using these bins

Maturation bin

Perennial weed drying rack

Drowning perennial weeds

Plastic New Zealand bin

1970s plastic bin with rubber lid

Greens & Browns Common mistakes

Too many greens: smelly mess. Too many browns contents dry and home to unwanted creatures

330 litre Blackwall bin

This and a 220l bin are normally available under "council" schemes

Plastic bin with sliding hatch

Beehive Composter

Aerobin 400l Our largest plastic bin

Our two Hotbins used for garden & food waste

Please come and enjoy breakfast on a Wednesday to help feed these bins.

Jorra Food composter

A 5 litre kitchen caddy is also shown this is used for measuring bulking agent

Green Johanna Garden waste & cooked food

Green Cone Food digester

An inner cone and basket (normally buried in the soil) is shown behind the main digester . Move down to next slides

Mantis Our largest tumbler bin

Kindly donated by Mantis

Three "barrel" tumbler bins

CompoSphere - 315 Litre Rollable Compost Tumbler Bin

Home-made barrel tumbler

Dog poo wormery

Stacking wormery Can-O-Worms

Stacking wormery

Original wormery

Comfrey tea Tube, buckets & dustbin for drowning weeds

Aerated Compost tea and comfrey in old Bokashi bins

Bubbles in aerated compost tea

Plant feed maker (not on permanent display)

Hozelock Plant Food maker (not on permanent display)

Details of composting on the demonstration site

The above page shows the compost bins and techniques that form part of the Composting Demonstration of the site. Information on the Community Composting on the site is given at Community composting.

Details of room hire for meetings, workshops and talks please contact stokeswoodallotments@gmail.com