Hibernation Series 5 of 5: Backyard Heroes
- 2 Minute Read -
Fellow Kiwis, we are nearly ready to move out of Lockdown. Make the most of time at home with these fun backyard activities. Great tips for lockdown and beyond.
What does your new normal look like?
Conservation & Kids
New Zealanders have really been appreciating how precious nature is and just how lucky we are. Let's make the most of this opportunity by learning about conservation and passing this passion onto our younger people. Easily done in our backyard!
There are some really awesome and easy DIY projects to master...
- Make bee and weta motels - view here.
- Wild at Home by WWF - view here.
- Track what is coming through your back yard - view here.
- Plant some natives and make note of which bird species you see coming through as your natives grow
Finally start that Compost!
Composting at home reduces strain on public services and is a much better option for our Planet. Plus, once you start we guarantee you will be seriously stoked on how much less waste you are putting out of the curb each week!
Composting is a way of recycling our waste through the breaking down of substances by soil micro-organisms. These micro-organisms turn our waste into a rich, fertile soil; ideal for growing healthy plants. When a compost bin is given the right levels of water, air, nitrogen (green matter) and carbon (brown matter), it will break your waste down quickly, easily, and require low maintenance.
A home compost can break down the following:
- Dry leaves
- Saw dust
- Shredded paper
- Straw
- Hay
- Cardboard
- Fruit (only low levels of citrus if you have worms)
- Vegetables
- Coffee grounds
- Seaweed
- Animal manure
- Tea leaves
- Grass clippings
Which composting system is best to use in New Zealand?
This honestly depends on your personal preference and living space. We personally LOVE our Hungry Bin and combine that with a rotating compost bin as a second bin (worms don't like everything that comes out of the kitchen). That seems to compost pretty much all our waste for a household of four people and we get 'worm juice' which fertilises our vege garden.
For those of us without gardens/limited space to accomodate a large bin then bokashi systems are great. You'll need to give your finished product to someone so team up with a neighbour who would appreciate some extra nutritious soil.
Considering a home made system is also a great choice, there are plenty of ways to use existing resources out there without having to buy anything! Some areas of New Zealand are now also doing a curb-side compost collection, for example We Compost and Compost Couriers for the Auckland Region. Check with your local Resource Recovery Centre as they might have some leads on systems in your regions.
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