KILDARE WILDLIFE WATCH: Restore soil nutrients with your own compost

World Environment Day, held annually on June 5, brings together millions of people from across the globe, engaging them in the effort to protect and restore the Earth.

World Environment Day puts a global spotlight on the pressing environmental challenges of our times. This United Nations (UN) international day has become the largest global platform for environmental outreach, with millions of people from across the world engaging to protect the planet. The event has been led by the United Nations Environment Programme since its inception in 1973.

This year’s World Environment Day campaign focused on land restoration under the slogan “Our land. Our future”. To mark this global day for our environment, the Irish Peatland Conservation Council at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre, supported by Kildare County Council through their Festival Grant Scheme 2024, invited people  to come along last week, to the centre to learn how you can restore valuable nutrients to your garden soil after the growing season each year.

A healthy soil is essential for carbon sequestration, it will improve crop yields and be more resilient to extremes of weather. Composting at home will also save you money as you will no longer have to purchase compost for growing, and will help to conserve a representative sample of Ireland’s peatlands.

At the Bog of Allen Nature Centre garden materials are composted annually with little effort other than having a designated storage area for collected materials, and allowing time for the soil bacteria and many invertebrates including worms, woodlice, slugs and snails to feed on the material, breaking up the complex carbon chains. They turn what once was grass cuttings, autumn leaves, fruit peelings and various garden cuttings into a nutrient rich compost.

If want to learn more about composting visit the Irish Peatland Conservation Council’s website http://www.ipcc.ie/advice/composting-diy/

If you would like help identifying a wildlife observation in your community you can contact me on [email protected].

- Nuala Madigan, the Bog of Allen Nature Centre, Lullymore