What is one of the world’s most powerful natural features?…SOIL! Yes, nutrient-rich soil must be protected at all costs! The more nutrient-dense an ecosystem or garden is, the more fruitful the ecosystem will be for flora and fauna. Teaching our kids about adding nutrients to soil, not just watering it, is critical to handing our ecosystems over to them with as much health as possible.

So how can we create nutrient-dense soil with our kids? With compost + soil amendments.

When you think of compost do you think of a huge tub or structure? You would not be alone. But what about those of us who live in apartments, or don’t have a yard? What if your landlord won’t let you have a compost? These are fantastic questions, and here are a few practical solutions you can try with your kids to enjoy composting on a small scale:

Bokashi

Bokashi creates a soil amendment, meaning is doesn’t technically decompose like a regular compost. Instead, it creates a juice or tea that can be diluted and spread throughout your garden to add life to your soil. These can alter the chemical and physical qualities of your soil. Fancy! Bokashi is a Japanese term that means ‘fading away’. It’s used to describe a bucket-style anaerobic fermentation process (stay with me!) where composting scraps are mixed with a bran mix. Micro-organisms get to work, processing the scraps and creating bokashi juice (or bokashi tea), which can be diluted and poured onto your garden. Tasty for healthy soil! Bokashi tea is pretty powerful stuff, so make sure you dilute it with water before you sprinkle it on your garden.

Worm farm/worm swag

This is another alternative to a traditional compost that creates a soil amendment. If you have even 1m X 1m available on a deck, patio, or balcony, you could set up either a small worm farm or look into worm swags that hang from above. These are much smaller than your typical compost or worm farm, plus any worm juice you’re able to retrieve can be diluted and poured onto your garden to improve the soil (a little less potent than Bokashi tea, but still packs a decent punch so make sure you dilute it with water!).

Local council scrap collection

You might be one of those lucky people that has a very active local council that focuses on environmental causes – amazing! Some councils offer green bin or composting bags and pickup as a part of their regular collections, or offer a space where you can take your composting scraps. So contact your local council and ask about their initiatives and programs. If they don’t run anything currently, make a formal request to have something started, no matter how small! The best use of rate-payer’s money is in supporting our environment, so don’t be afraid to ask for what you want to see!

Local community garden

Once you start looking for community gardens in your area, you’ll be surprised by how many your discover! And even a quick search on social media or a quick email and you could find a member of these gardens looking for composting scraps. Better still you could become a member of these community gardens yourself, and make bringing your compost down to the local garden a regular habit. Soil wonderful soil!

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Keen to encourage your kids love of sustainability and build their language skills? Check out the Aussie Tiny Tales podcast. Enjoy short stories about Aussie animals with undertones of education, sustainability and protecting the planet.