Soil and Compost
What?
Soil is the living foundation of every landscape. Healthy soil is packed with life — fungi, bacteria, worms, beetles, and roots — all working together to recycle nutrients, store carbon, and filter water. Composting and caring for your soil brings these systems back to life, turning waste into resource and creating the perfect conditions for plants and wildlife.
Where?
Everywhere: gardens, borders, allotments, community spaces, school grounds, and landscaped areas. On the Isle of Wight, our soils range from chalky downland to clay lowlands and sandy coasts, each with its own wildlife potential. Every site can build soil health and close the loop by composting organic waste locally.
How?
Feed the soil, not just the plants. Use homemade compost, leaf mould, and well-rotted manure to return nutrients and improve structure.
Compost on site. Convert garden, kitchen and green waste into usable compost — it reduces transport costs and emissions.
Let decomposition happen naturally. Create a compost heap or bay; add mixed layers of green (nitrogen-rich) and brown (carbon-rich) materials to support decomposers.
Leave some areas undisturbed. Avoid over-digging; minimal disturbance protects soil organisms and root networks.
Add woody material. Deadwood, shredded branches and bark support fungi and beetles, enriching the soil as they break down.
Use mulches. A covering of leaves, straw or bark conserves moisture, suppresses weeds and provides microhabitats for invertebrates.
Avoid chemicals. Pesticides, herbicides and synthetic fertilisers harm soil life and reduce biodiversity.
Protect from compaction. Keep heavy footfall and vehicles off wet ground to prevent damage to soil structure.
When?
You can start composting or mulching at any time. Autumn and winter are ideal for building heaps and applying compost, while spring is perfect for top-dressing and feeding emerging plants.
Why?
Healthy soil underpins healthy ecosystems. It holds water during drought, filters pollutants, and locks away carbon. Composting closes the resource loop and supports the island’s sustainability goals by reducing waste and imports of commercial soil and fertiliser. Caring for soil is one of the most powerful actions for climate and nature recovery — invisible but essential.
Actions for Isle of Wight Species
Earthworms, millipedes and beetles thrive in rich compost, feeding birds and amphibians.
Fungi and mycorrhizal networks help plants communicate and share nutrients — key to resilient habitats.
Hedgehogs, frogs and slow worms often use compost heaps for shelter and winter hibernation.
Robins, blackbirds and thrushes feed on soil invertebrates — a sign of soil health.
Soil microbes improve fertility naturally, supporting pollinator-friendly wildflowers on the surface.