Sabato, Hair Salon owner, Hereford
Sabato lives with his wife in a three bedroom house with a medium-sized garden with a patio area. Steps lead down to a lawn with surrounding flowerbeds, shrubs and a vegetable patch. The garden has a water feature in one corner and a compost bin in another.
Sabato runs a successful hair salon in Hereford and works six days a week. He spends his free time nurturing his garden and watching football on TV.
How long have you been composting?
About 5 years now.
What made you start composting?
In my salon, I have some clients who talk about their gardens and how they make their own compost - so one day I thought 'why not give it a try?', so I went to my local garden centre and had a chat with one of the guys there and he told me which bin to buy.
How did you find out how to get started and what to do?
I knew there was more to know about than just putting garden waste into the compost bin, so that's why I asked the guy at the garden centre. He told me about kitchen waste, and gave me a few tips, so I came home and got stuck in!
Did you find it easy to get started? Or did you have any problems at first?
It was easy at first, but then after two months or so, it looked too dry. My neighbour told me to add more 'greens' in, like grass cuttings and vegetable peelings, so I did. I even added a little bit of water and gave it a good stir. It soon did the trick.
Do you regularly put in kitchen waste as well as garden waste? If so, do you use a kitchen caddy?
No, we use a large ice-cream tub for our kitchen waste, and then we put it into the compost bin.
Is your compost bin doing well now?
Most of the time! It's not always perfect, but I enjoy looking after it. If it's too dry, I add greens and water, if it's too soggy, I add some cardboard and egg boxes and stop putting water in for a while. I get some good rich compost from it, which is free, so I'm happy.
How long was it before you were able to use your compost?
The first time, maybe after six months.
What do you do with your finished compost? What end uses do you have for it in your garden?
I put the compost in all my pots and also on my flower beds. Sometimes I put it on my lawn to give it a boost.
Are you pleased with the results in your garden by using your own compost? Any examples?
Yes, very pleased. I've noticed that my shrubs are nice and strong and stay flowered for longer and my tomato plants look great!
Do you compost throughout the year?
I try to, but sometimes I stop when it's too cold to go outside!
Finally, do you have any tips to give people about composting, which you've found useful?
Just to make sure the compost is always moist - not too dry and not too wet. If you find that some things haven't broken down at the bottom of your compost bin, put them back into the top to decompose again. Oh, and also be careful not to put in any cooked vegetables. I did this once and had some flies in the bin. I took off the top layer and carried on and it was fine again. And finally, be patient!
