Composting and soil building – a circular approach to gardening

We use several different types of composts here in the museum garden. The largest one is located here down in the slope and is used for garden waste that accumulates during the growing season. This mainly consists of leaves and weeds that have been cleared from the flowerbeds. Inside the compost, worms and other large organisms, along with microbes such as fungi and bacteria, work together to break down the waste. The compost is turned twice a year to retrieve the soil formed at the bottom and to introduce more oxygen into the compost. 

Inside the museum building, there is also a bokashi compost. This is a faster composting method that breaks down our kitchen waste with the help of microorganisms in an oxygen-free environment, through fermentation. Once the compost bin is full and has been left to ferment long enough in an oxygen-free state, we mix it with old soil from pots for example, and in this way, we get new, nutrient-rich soil, which we store in our so called “soil bank.” This allows us to have fine, nutrient-packed soil whenever it’s needed for potted plants or other cultivation, and the goal is to become self-sufficient in new soil from these composts, so we no longer need to buy new bags of soil.