Night Soil
No. 12 · Autumn 2025
Notes on compost, cold frames, and the quiet work of keeping soil alive through the darker months. Ten essays from the plots, the borders, and the workshop bench.
In this issue
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The Cold Frame Diaries
A month of frosty mornings, one north-facing frame, and the seedlings that refused to be hurried.
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Reading a Plot's Drainage in Winter
Water tells you more about a plot in December than any soil test in June.
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Saving Seed from the Autumn Border
Scissors, paper bags, and an argument with the calendar.
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The Quiet Life of the Hardy Cyclamen
Under the bare trees, the most civilised plant in the November garden opens its flowers.
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Grafting Basics: Knife, Wax, Patience
Three parts preparation, one part courage — the honest truth about the oldest horticultural trick.
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A Field Guide to Trowels
Every gardener has a trowel that fits the hand like a memory. The rest are scrapers by another name.
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Reconditioning a Cast-Iron Spade
Wire brush, oil, and honesty are the whole syllabus.
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The Sharpening Stone Habit
Ten minutes with a stone at the end of the day keeps every tool honest.
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Leaf Mould: The Slowest, Best Fertiliser
It asks only for fallen leaves and time, and gives back a crumbly brown richness no bagged product quite matches.
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What the Frost Leaves Behind
The first hard frost is less an ending than a reorganisation.