Overwintering in a compost heap

This almost describes how I get through  a winter!

But I’ve found that the compost heap is a good way of getting tender plants through the winter. One autumn I dug up a large Brugmansia but decided I had no space to keep it somewhere warm so I decided to dispose of it to the heap. As is my practice, I try and chop up any material destined for the heap, so I chopped up all the stems and roots that my secateurs could get through leaving just the stump and a few tough roots. The remaining stump was thrown on the heap along with all the chopped stuff. The following Spring, when delving into the heap, I found the stump looking very healthy with new roots and shoots. I planted the ‘stump’ which produced a very fine, flowering plant that summer.

Since then I’ve used the heap to overwinter other Brugmansias and rhizomes of ginger plants very successfully.

Of course, a compost heap produces quite a bit of warmth and seems to get the moisture level right.

 

IMG_4217 Brugmansia at night

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