Shelley Harrison, team leader of Haskins Garden Centre is calling for increased engagement with the sustainable gardening initiative, as part of a wider mission to put sustainability at the forefront of gardeners’ minds.
Harrison who has worked at Haskins for three years, introduced hot composting bins to the branch as part of the national Garden Centre Association (GCA) competition. Through curating and deploying an in-store campaign, Harrison is engaging with customers to encourage the adoption of this sustainable composting method.
Harrison explains that the initiative focuses on the benefits of utilising hot composting bins over traditional cold composting, or ready-made products. “As the temperature cools in the autumn and winter, there is no better time to begin composting with a hot bin. When managed properly, hot bins can generate a composting heap in 30-90 days, compared to the 12-24 months cold composting requires”, she said. “Hot bins not only generate compost at a faster rate but they also produce natural liquid feed, useable as an alternative to chemical products in your garden, allowing gardeners to take further steps towards becoming more sustainable.”
With the UK Government targeting 2030 as a deadline to prevent any food waste from being sent to landfill, gardeners creating composting areas quickly and conveniently within their outdoor spaces will become increasingly important. A passionate gardener, Harrison hopes to highlight the positive impact hot composting can have on the environment and demonstrate how garden centres can effectively market and sell the products.
“I hope that this project will demonstrate the value hot bin composting provides gardeners and encourages other centres to offer these products to their customer base”, highlights Harrison.