Tallbacka in 2023 - part 1
The year 2023 has been marked by worries and fears. The pandemic retreated but remained in the background and war filled the news. For our part, we have tried to stay on the side of the good and continue a meaningful life. That meaning is to be found in the garden.
In the garden we are still not protected from money worries, diseases and fatigue. We decided to focus on NO-DIG cultivation in the garden and it takes time to learn something new and consolidate the new method. We have also decided to make everything public and have opened the garden for visitors even though it is not finished and we do not know everything. We take a conscious risk that you need to do with something new that deviates from the usual. Sometimes it hurts, but usually love of everything that grows was the greatest of our emotions. We have decided to continue.
NO DIG composting
2023 was the second year we applied NO DIG composting. By then, we had already gained experience of different composting methods, the required materials, the amount of work and, above all, how much compost is needed. Tallbacka’s compost manager Outi took the matter very seriously and decided to use the bulk of her energies producing compost so as to have enough compost for the growing beds. We had also had some unfortunate experiences. For example, the soil factory with bokashi compost that we had started with great expectations was a bitter disappointment. The bokashi process was unsuccessful and our own idea of putting bokashi compost and soil in different layers did not work. The end result was a compost mixture with a rock-hard surface and dense weed growth. Our ordinary composts were too wet and froze in the winter, resulting in the whole process taking too long. The Berkeley Hot Compost method, on the other hand, was promising. Wood chippings, garden waste, horse manure, leaves and coffee grounds were available. How much compost is it possible to produce in a season? We decided to try and find out. The winter proper did not come until March, so there was snow well into April. On April 10th, the first two composts made of pallet collars (1.2 x 1.2 x 1m) high) were full. The Berkeley compost should be turned from the fifth day every other day until the material has changed to even, but still coarse, compost soil. The worms also work hard after the initial heat of the process subsides. The most difficult part of the process is to keep the moisture at a suitable level; during the summer the composts wanted to dry even though we covered them with a tarpaulin to minimize evaporation.
After the first two, we made several more. In the end there were a total of about 20 of which some were joined during the final process. In June we also started collecting regular garden composts the solid composts we built using Dowding’s model. We can state that after working all summer we got a substantial stock of good quality compost spread on almost all the growing beds in the autumn. It was satisfying to have the compost spread out as cover material before winter. The compost has time to settle, worms and other microbes can begin their decomposing work and in spring when the snow has melted the soil is ready for planting. The compost is not manure and it does not dissolve in rain or snow. The soil improves as the micro-organisms multiply.
For many reasons, the compost cover is second to none for soil health. Drought seems to be a recurring problem for spring and early summer. A soil that is covered with compost tolerates drought much better, the soil micro-life and fungal hyphae form a structure that effectively binds water. We are convinced that the wood chippings between the growing beds is an excellent way to reduce evaporation and increase the number of fungal hyphae. It is possible to walk on the NO DIG beds, the ground becomes resilient and is not compacted. The rainwater is absorbed into the soil more efficiently, partly because of the worms. There is no need for fertilizers and no need to worry about pH values or lack of trace elements. A living soil balances itself and the microorganisms have their own ways of releasing molecules for plants to use. We humans don’t understand all these subtleties, but fortunately we don’t have to either! It is enough for us to provide food and favourable living conditions, then they will do the work for us.