Clever Composting, Outhouses Are In & Garden Hearty

Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail
3^rd June 2023

Clever Composting

Chatting to a friend recently about composting – as you do – she was rather proud of a more out-of-the-box (or in-the-box) idea she had implemented to take ‘composting’ a stage further.

With three almost-feral children, and workmen anticipating three months of renovations on her house and garden, she decided to invest in a compost toilet.  The kids are always outside and covered in varying layers of mud and although she has a downstairs loo, you still have to access it through the kitchen.  Whilst she didn’t want the builders traipsing through her kitchen either, it is actually a legal requirement to provide a port-a-loo if you have more than four workers on site.  Let’s face it though, chemical toilets are even less appealing than builders traipsing through your house.

So having dismissed that option, she researched compost loos and was delighted to see how far they have progressed. Even better, a local company was able to advise and provide the perfect option.

I am so impressed with the concept.  We are all being encouraged to spend more time in nature but let’s face it, we need certain facilities to do that.  With Air B&B, yurts and shepherds huts becoming more and more popular, it’s also a perfect solution for the less glamorous side of glamping.  I also know that there are no toilet facilities at The Owl Sanctuary in Ebbw Vale because the port-a-loo companies couldn’t access the toilet to empty it – an off grid toilet would surely be the answer.  And what about allotments? And garden offices? I get so excited about these sorts of ‘great and green’ practical solutions.  It’s all about going back to basics – and not an ‘app’ in sight.

Outhouses Are In

An ‘outhouse’ is defined as “a small structure, separate from a main building, which covers a toilet. This is typically either a pit latrine or a bucket toilet, but other forms of dry (non-flushing) toilets may be encountered. The term may also be used to denote the toilet itself, not just the structure.”

The really clever thing about the ‘outhouse’ that my friend chose is that whilst still being referred to a compost toilet, technically it is a ‘dry’ or ‘separating’ toilet.  Basically a clever device ensures that the urine and solids are separated to prevent the anaerobic breakdown that occurs when they are mixed.  This is what causes the smell and unpleasantness associated with the earlier compost toilets.  Trust me – if there was any ‘challenging’ aspects to these ‘off-grid’ toilets, my friend would not have one.

It is a really clever and clean system that eventually provides you with compost similar to what you would buy bagged from the garden centre. You can read more about the process, and lots more, at www.reworkshopwales.co.uk

These ‘off-grid’ toilets have certainly progressed since the very rustic options I used at ‘green festivals’ – and which would often turn the user a shade of green too.  Not only beautifully constructed to nestle organically into any garden, woodland or campsite, the ‘outhouses’ are made from recycled materials and have all the right kind of ‘green’ credentials.  They can also be bespoke – my friend opted for a stable door, which means she can keep the top half open to enjoy the view, and a clear roof for more light and a view of the stars.  You could grow honeysuckle or roses over it, festoon it with fairy lights or even paint it to fit in with a more contemporary setting.

There is also a fabulous Little John – possibly the cutest portable toilet you have ever seen and which can also be plumbed in if preferred, and outhouses for disabled and special needs access can also be designed and built.

I never thought I would use almost a whole column waxing lyrical about ‘compost toilets’, but some things are worth the column space! I think an ‘outhouse’ is an absolutely sound and practical investment for anyone wanting to keep muddy feet out of the house – and, as my friend confesses, it makes a great bolt hole!  And of course it’s also good for the roses.

Perhaps the best bit of all is that Joe and his wife Emma are more than happy to talk through your needs and advise you on the best options for your garden or site.  They can be contacted on 07714 719441.  I can’t help thinking it’s probably the only business where you want to hear someone talking cr*p.

Garden Hearty

It’s that time of year where my garden develops into a fledgling crèche.  I have blue tits nesting in the clematis clothing the side of the cottage, blackbirds galore in various hedges and shrubs and two wrens nesting in the wood shed.  All are at the fledgling stage and it’s chaos.  I have to be careful where I work and even walk, as not to disturb any of the feathered activity.  I feel for the male blackbirds that are still managing to find worms and bugs from goodness knows where in this dry spell.  They are driven to distraction by their clueless, clumsy offspring as they make their short, maiden flights.  Hard to believe that the ‘fluffy’, petulant looking fledglings will soon resemble their sleek handsome parents.  The blue tits seem to be far more in control and less stressed about their young, and also seem to have more ‘family involvement’, and as for the tiny but hugely-effective little wrens, they just calmly go about their rearing their young in stealth mode.

I have also got a nest of bumble bees in the eaves, and just love their reassuring ‘drone’ and unhurried ways.  In the beds and borders, I continue to be pleasantly surprised by blooms that I had forgotten about – often rescued plants that are heeled in as a ‘last-chance’ – and my lawn is mostly a frothy sea of ox-eyed daisies.  Honeysuckle is providing scent along one pathway and (rescued) flag irises standing to attention along another.  Giant mustard leaves are adding spice to salads and fresh mint taking iced coffee to another level.

I absolutely love my garden at any time of year but right now it’s making me very happy indeed.  When Voltaire said, “One must cultivate one’s own garden,’ he was of course, referring to cultivating your own aesthetic in your own universe, rather than growing peas or peonies.  But in my experience, literally cultivating one’s own garden is a well trodden path to self-discovery and contentment.