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..this is REALLY a bit much.


Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is a medicinal herb with sedative attributes.


I’ve never tried it personally, but I read recently that it also works on COMPOST HEAPS, as well as on people, so I might give it a go.


According to the recipe, you take a couple of handfuls of valerian leaves, steep then in a bucket of water for two weeks, filter the stinking mess fermented liquid and then – get this – DILUTE to something like 3 ppm.


Pour this on your compost heap, which will then be sedated, not overheat and provide compost that smells of rose petals.


Or something like that.


This dilution business got my suspicions up – sounds distinctly like homeopathy, which has more than enough charlatans in its ranks – and I always thought that the idea of composting is actually to make SURE that a compost heap gets a good temperature to kill off all the nasties.


But then again – what do I know….?


(Listens. Do I detect the faint sound of snoring from the vege patch…?)