Gardening with
Wildlife in Mind

Composting

• Compost all your garden – and uncooked vegetable – waste.
• Compost heaps can shelter slow-worms and grass snakes – be careful when digging them over!
• Don’t burn your garden leaves – save them and turn them into leaf litter.
• Most garden compost contains peat – look for peat-free alternatives.
• Don't compost couch grass or bindweed or you may have to resort to weed-killers!
• Partially compost your grass clippings and then use them as a mulch around your plants. This keeps moisture in and weeds out, so you do less watering and less weeding.
• Garden waste can damage the countryside. Don’t dump it. Take it to your nearest municipal tip or compost it yourself.
• Get together with your neighbours (or garden society) and buy a shredder between you so you can compost all your woody garden waste.
• Many local authorities sell compost bins cheaply: use several.