Composting for Healthy Soil, Wildlife & Beautiful Garden Displays
Composting: Working With Nature, Not Against It
Decomposition is the natural process by which once-living organic matter is broken down and recycled into nutrients that plants reuse for growth, resilience and reproduction. In woodlands, meadows and hedgerows this happens continuously—fallen leaves disappear, returning their goodness to the soil, year after year.
Without decomposition carried out by the organisms of the soil food web, we would quite literally be buried under layers of dead organic matter. Composting is simply the gardener’s way of tidying and accelerating this natural cycle, keeping nutrients in the garden where they belong.
I design and manage gardens that work with ecology rather than against it. Composting is one of the most powerful tools available to gardeners who want healthier plants, thriving wildlife and resilient soils—yet it’s often misunderstood or poorly executed.
Why Composting Matters for Soil Health
Modern horticulture and agriculture often rely on synthetic fertilisers for quick results. While effective in the short term, research increasingly shows that repeated fertiliser use reduces soil life, weakens soil structure and damages long-term fertility.
Healthy soil is alive.
A living soil contains bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes and invertebrates that:
- Create stable soil structure
- Improve drainage and moisture retention
- Make nutrients available gradually
- Increase plant resilience to stress, pests and disease
- Composting feeds this underground ecosystem naturally—without disrupting it.
Common Composting Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)
Given enough time, all organic matter will decompose. But poor composting habits often lead to:
Compacted, airless heaps
Dry, inactive piles
Tangled, woody masses that are difficult to use
The most common mistake is throwing everything into a compost bin without structure or planning. Grass clippings, woody stems, weeds and leaves all behave very differently as they decompose.
Unmanaged heaps compact, dry out, and are rarely used—because working with them becomes a chore.
Good composting should be easy, efficient and satisfying.
Understanding Decomposition: A Little Science Goes a Long Way
Most gardeners are familiar with worms breaking down leaves—but that’s only part of the story. Decomposition is driven primarily by microorganisms, and their diversity is staggering.
A single teaspoon of healthy garden soil contains:
500 million to 1 billion microbes
Thousands of species of bacteria, fungi, protozoa and archaea
These organisms interact as predators, competitors and partners, breaking down organic matter and restructuring it into forms plants can absorb.
Recent research shows that microbes don’t just live around plants—they live inside them, in roots, stems and leaves. This mirrors what we see in humans, where microbes support digestion and immune function.
Plants actively manage these microbial relationships, selecting beneficial microbes while excluding harmful ones. Composting supports this process by replenishing soil with locally adapted microbial life.
Microbial Diversity: The Engine of Composting
Bacteria, fungi and other microbes require:
Moisture (not saturation)
Oxygen
Carbon and nitrogen
When compost heaps dry out or become airless, microbes slow down or become dormant. This is why:
Keeping compost moist speeds decomposition
Turning compost adds oxygen
Smaller material breaks down faster
Aerobic (oxygen-loving) microbes decompose material far more efficiently than anaerobic ones, producing better compost and fewer unpleasant smells.
Invertebrates: Nature’s Visible Recyclers
Invertebrates are the decomposers we can see:
Woodlice, millipedes and springtails
Earthworms and beetles
Slugs, snails and mites
Spiders and predatory insects
Some feed directly on decaying plant material, others on animals that do. All contribute to nutrient recycling through their waste and eventual decomposition.
These invertebrates also carry their own microbial communities, further accelerating the composting process.
A compost heap is not just a waste pile—it’s a living habitat.
Composting and Wildlife-Friendly Gardening
Wildlife-friendly gardens rely on continuous nutrient cycling. Leaving plant material to stand over winter:
Provides shelter for overwintering insects
Protects plant crowns from frost
Allows in-situ decomposition
At Garden Displays, we encourage gardeners to see composting as part of garden design—not something hidden away as an afterthought.
Composting Best Practice: Simple, Effective & Sustainable
Choose the Right Location
Partial contact with soil is ideal
Easy access for turning and removal
Nearby water source to prevent drying out
Rainwater is preferable, but if using tap water, allowing it to stand for a few days lets chlorine evaporate—protecting beneficial microbes.
Greens and Browns: Getting the Balance Right
Effective composting depends on the right balance of:
Greens (nitrogen-rich): grass clippings, green prunings, food waste
Browns (carbon-rich): dried leaves, cardboard, woodchip
The ideal ratio is approximately 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen (30:1) by dry weight.
Too much nitrogen causes smells; too much carbon slows decomposition. In practice, this balance is easier than it sounds—experience develops quickly.
Chopping material into small pieces dramatically improves results.
Turning and Aeration
Turn compost every 4–6 weeks
Add water if dry
Consider ventilation pipes or rolled wire cores
Heat in the centre of the heap signals active microbial breakdown, while invertebrates work around the edges.
Composting in Practice: How I Work in My Garden
In my own garden:
I leave plants standing over winter for structure and wildlife
I cut back in spring as bulbs emerge
I shred or chop material into small pieces
Excess material is stored and added gradually to balance seasonal waste
Compost doesn’t need to be perfectly finished. Partially decomposed material applied as a mulch:
Feeds soil organisms
- Improves structure
- Suppresses weeds
- Continues decomposing in place
This mirrors natural processes far more closely than removing “garden waste” from site.
Compost, Soil Biology & Rhizophagy
Recent research highlights the importance of rhizophagy—a process where plants actively harvest nutrients from microbes living inside their roots.
Synthetic fertilisers reduce this interaction, weakening soil fertility over time. Compost restores it.
Organic matter feeds microbes; microbes feed plants; plants feed microbes.
This closed loop is the foundation of healthy gardens.
Composting Supports No-Dig Gardening
By composting and applying organic matter to the soil surface:
Soil structure improves naturally
Fungal networks remain intact
Weed pressure reduces
Soil life thrives
This approach underpins the no-dig method we increasingly adopt in wildlife-friendly garden design.
Composting: Keeping Life in the Garden
What grows, lives and dies in the garden should stay in the garden.
Composting is not just waste management—it’s soil care, wildlife support and sustainable garden design combined. When done well, it reduces the need for fertilisers, improves plant health and creates gardens that are resilient, beautiful and alive.
At Garden Displays, composting is a core principle behind every successful, wildlife-friendly garden we create.