Give your garden's ecosystem a helping hand

We all know plants live within an ecosystem where everything feeds off each other.

Nutrients are recycled when plant matter on the ground is broken down by microbes - tiny organisms that feed on the material and turn it into a soil-like matter. It's a natural process, going on around us all the time, that replenishes soil ecosystems.

Natural recycling of nutrients occurs to a lesser extent in urban soil, but it isn't enough for most gardens to maintain soil health throughout the seasons. Your garden might need a little helping hand.

When done right, the process of composting speeds up the return of nutrients in organic matter to soil. By understanding the science, we can create the ideal environment for compost microbes to unlock all the nutrients.

Just like most flora and fauna. microbes prefer certain conditions. Microbes can be harnessed to do their good work 24/7 by making them as comfortable as possible:

• provide a protected habitat to shield them from weather fluctuations
• feed them a balanced diet (Waste Lasagne recipe)
• meet their other living needs like oxygen and stable temperature

Organic wastes contain many of the nutrients plants need for growth. Compost microbes are your workhorses, breaking down the wastes to unlock nutrients for reuse across the ecosystem. And just like other hard-working beasts of burden, they'll do their best work in an optimal environment. Look after them and they'll look after your soil!

Microbes will work in partnership with the rest of the ecosystem (e.g. earthworms) to release the wastes' goodies into your soil. Ensure they're well looked after and your garden's ecosystem will thrive.