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Daily gardening tip · Northern hemisphere · Thursday 29 October 2026

Secure Your Compost Bin Cover Before Rain Hits

Heavy rainfall at this time of year can turn an open compost pile into a soggy, useless mess.

Secure Your Compost Bin Cover Before Rain Hits
5 minuteseasycompost
  1. Inspect the lid or cover on your compost bin for cracks or loose fittings.
  2. Place a heavy brick or stone on top of loose plastic lids to keep them in place during high winds.
  3. If using a pile, drape a heavy-duty waterproof tarp over the top, where wet weather is common.
  4. Tie down or weigh down the edges of the tarp so water runs off the sides rather than pooling in the middle.
A garden at this time of year

Why it works

Compost needs oxygen to break down properly. Excessive rainfall fills the air gaps in the pile with water, driving out oxygen and creating an anaerobic environment that smells bad and slows decomposition.

Arizona Sunflower

Plant of the day

Arizona Sunflower

Helianthus arizonensis

An annual herbaceous plant native to Arizona and New Mexico, found in open, disturbed areas, desert washes, and grasslands. It produces typical sunflower-like heads with bright yellow ray petals and a dark central disk, attracting pollinators.

Read about it →

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Written for the northern hemisphere. Gardening south of the equator? See the southern edition

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