Starter Smallholders

A couple of weeks ago, soon after the snow had melted from it, I dug through our compost pile to see what had happened during the winter. The short answer is nothing. The oldest part was still half composted and the newer pile was basically unchanged from its autumn state. I suppose that this should not have been a surprise considering that I actually found a lump of frozen composty ice in the centre of the pile - it's obviously a good insulator. I split the pile into two - the almost complete part for use around the fruit bushes this year, and the rest to continue composting. Last week I stopped at the garden centre to buy some commercial compost to add to our soil immediately. As I was returning the trolley, I overheard an enquiry from a customer about whether the compost was suitable for organic vegetable growth. The organic movement here in Latvia has made a slow start despite some devoted and high profile advocates, so it is always a pleasure to see evidence that it is gaining a grassroots following. I later checked the compost that I had bought and was amazed to discover that it comes with added minerals and fertilisers. Compost seems to be such a simple thing, but it appears that even that needs to have extras added by the manufacturers - is this for our convenience? I checked the ingredients, discovered that my Latvian is not up to scientific terms, and then used it anyway. We are not after certification and I did not add a huge amount so I am not going to worry about it until the next time I go to buy some. Then I will read the small print more carefully and check with Rita before buying.