PlantSwap 2026

Éric

 

🌱 PlantSwap 2026: When Gardeners Take on the Weather, and Win!

Grosbreuil composting site – a Saturday morning in May

It was forecast. Confirmed. Certified by three weather apps and the neighbour's grandmother: a Noah-worthy downpour was supposed to drench our PlantSwap 2026. The clouds had even taken the trouble to position themselves above Grosbreuil the evening before, just to build suspense.

The actual result? Half an hour of drizzle, and that was that. Apparently, even the rain thinks twice before taking on a crowd armed with trowels and ecological conviction.

🏆 Joseph: The Man Who Doesn't Hang About

No sooner had the tables been properly set out than Joseph was already there. First to arrive — one wonders sometimes whether he'd simply slept on site. Within minutes, he had taken over a third of the first table with military precision worthy of the D-Day landings, but with ‘Beefsteak’ tomatoes.

That kind of passion can't be faked.

📚 Philippe: The Living Encyclopaedia of the Plant Kingdom

Hot on Joseph's heels came Philippe. Philippe is the man you ask when you want to know the exact hour to transplant an Espelette pepper under a gibbous moon with a moderate westerly wind. He has an answer. It is detailed. It is probably correct.

Once again this year, his contribution filled out the stall generously — and our botanical knowledge along with it.

🌿 A Cast of Unsung Heroes

But let's be fair: PlantSwap is above all a team effort. Behind every tray of young seedlings stands a volunteer who sowed in February under their veranda, turned their pots in March, lost a few plants in April, and ultimately triumphed in May. To all these champions of the compost heap: a huge thank you!

💡 The Idea of the Year

Between swaps of cocktail tomatoes for giant basil seedlings, a suggestion took root (fittingly enough): what if everyone specialised? Tomatoes for some, peppers for others, squash for the brave, herbs for the poets… Enough to offer an even wider variety next year — without stopping anyone from bringing along whatever else their garden happens to produce.

Something to ponder over while turning the compost this summer.

🥂 The Well-Earned Glass

The morning wrapped up as it should: gathered around a well-deserved drink, under a finally-forgiving sky, with the quiet satisfaction of people who know their plants have gone to good homes.

See you in 2027. Bring your seedlings. And a raincoat — just in case.

Compostons Ensemble – because gardening is better together 🌍

 

The little restaurant is back

Éric
O'Grosbreuil Bar-Restaurant, Grosbreuil, Vendée
 
The little lunch

The little lunch is back … and it got poetic!

Saturday 21 March 2026  ·  O'Grosbreuil, Rija & Lydie's  ·  Grosbreuil, Vendée

Spring knocked on O'Grosbreuil's door this Saturday, and with it… a merry group of 17 guests who had every intention of celebrating in style!

For the much-anticipated return of our little lunch — now held on a Saturday so that everyone can join — it was the warm and welcoming table of Rija and Lydie that hosted us. Aperitifs, laughter, good cheer and great food were all on the menu. More than anything, these lunches are a chance to meet outside of meetings and compost heaps, simply as friends and fellow members.

But this Saturday was no ordinary Saturday…

Coincidence or fate? March 21st also happens to be World Poetry Day! So the challenge was set: what if everyone tried their hand at a few verses? The result: five brave souls took up the gauntlet — and inspiration was very much in the air!

🌻 Annie
Vive le soleil
Allons jardiner avec notre chapeau de paille
Laissons le bricolage marteau, vis, tenaille
Allons déjeuner tous ensemble au resto de Grosbreuil
avec la jolie bande de canailles
Couldn't have put it better, Annie! 😄
🌿 Sue
The wind told the grass
And the grass told the trees
The trees told the bushes
And the bushes told the bees
The bees told the robin
And the robin sang out clear.
Wake up! Wake up!
Spring is here!
Message received, Sue — we're wide awake! ☀️
🌸 Katia
C'est samedi, il y a le resto
Tous assis, pour l'apéro
Le soleil est là, il fait beau
L'amitié fêtée autour d'un pot
Immortalisé par une photo
Tout le monde sera beau
Et oubliera ses petits bobos
A perfect recipe for happiness, perfectly rhymed! 🥂
🚕 Jamie
Joe le Taxi
Enjoyed driving in Paris in spring
So he could enjoy the scent of the blooms
and the smell of the wind…
Poetic, wandering, with a hint of Vanessa Paradis in the air! 🎶

And the grand winner of the challenge… Joseph!

Joseph went for something truly ambitious: he took on the Chant du Départ — France's great revolutionary anthem — and reimagined it as a tribute to our friends the dairy cows. A monument of French poetry reworked with humour and near-scientific anatomical precision, to the unanimous delight of the table!

Grand winner of the poetry challenge

Le chant du départ « des Néolaitières »

— The cows —  ·  by Joseph
La fermière en chantant nous ouvre la barrière
L'herbe du pré guide nos pas
De neuf heures à midi, la troupe de laitières
Broute gaiement un copieux repas
Puis, elle boit, elle se couche et rumine
Panses, foies, vésicules, intestins
Transformez bien ce joli festin
Soyez prêts acinies et sphincters
✦
L'heure de la traite nous appelle
Le laitier va bientôt passer
Et le lait tend nos douces mamelles
Pour elles un trayeur doit venir
Un trayeur doit venir pour elles
Pour elles un trayeur doit venir
Hats off, Joseph! From the near-scientific precision of the first verse to the near-operatic chorus of the second, this poem is sure to go down in the annals of our little lunch… and perhaps in the literary history of the Vendée! 🐄
🌱

Fancy joining us next time?

Our little lunch takes place several times a year, and all members are welcome! It's the perfect opportunity to get together outside of the usual meetings — and who knows, you might even discover a poet within yourself…

The Compostons Ensemble team  ·  compostons-ensemble.fr

The treasures of the Grosbreuil site

Éric

♻ Compostons Ensemble – Grosbreuil

🌿 Manure · Compost · Wood Chips · Straw

How to make the best use of the Grosbreuil platform materials

The Grosbreuil composting platform offers several complementary materials: manure, compost, wood chips and straw. Used together, they make a winning combination for your garden: improved soil structure, lasting fertility and better water retention.

🌿

1 – Know your 4 materials

🌿 Wood Chips

Shredded green waste used as a surface mulch. It builds soil by adding humus and stimulating all soil life, including fungi. A true sponge, it efficiently retains water in the soil. Essential for a fertile garden.

🕐 Spring or autumn
📦 5 to 10 cm thick
"Wood chips are quite special — they help build soil, foster all underground life, fungi included. A true sponge, they efficiently retain water in the soil. Essential for a fertile garden."
🌾 Straw

The ideal surface mulch: straw prevents evaporation and limits water loss from the soil. Very effective against weeds. As it decomposes, it continues to retain water and enriches the soil with organic matter.

🕐 Spring (after planting)
📦 5 to 10 cm thick
💶 €2.50 per bale
♻ Compost

Made from your bio-waste: a balanced amendment that slowly feeds plants and boosts microbial activity. Platform compost is fully matured and usable year-round.

🕐 Spring and autumn
📦 2 to 4 kg/m²
🐄 Manure

Rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Improves soil structure. Must always be well-composted (6 to 12 months) before any spring application.

🕐 Ideal in autumn
📦 3 to 5 kg/m²
🌱

2 – Preparing your garden for spring

1
December – January

Apply composted manure

  • Spread well-matured manure on the surface (3–5 kg/m²) over the areas to work.
  • Do not dig it in: let the earthworms do the work.
  • Avoid areas intended for sensitive crops (see section 3).
2
February – March

Light soil cultivation + compost

  • Lightly rake the surface to 5 cm to aerate.
  • Work in 2 to 3 kg/m² of mature compost.
  • Soil should be workable (not too wet, not frozen).
3
March – April

Planting + mulching

  • Plant or sow according to the seasonal calendar.
  • Apply 5 to 8 cm of straw or wood chips around plants (not touching stems).
  • Straw prevents evaporation and retains water — even as it decomposes, this property remains. Wood chips act as a true sponge and enrich the soil with more humus.
🥕

3 – Le fumier convient-il à toutes les cultures ?

No, not all. Here is a quick reference guide:

Crop Manure Compost Wood Chips Straw Notes
🍅 Tomatoes / Squash / Courgettes ⚠ Autumn only ✓ Ideal ✓ Mulch ✓✓ Ideal Fresh manure = burn risk. Always compost before spring use.
🥔 Potatoes ✗ Not advised ✓ Moderately ✓ Mulch ✓✓ Ideal Manure promotes common scab. Prefer mature compost.
🫘 Beans / Peas / Broad Beans ✗ Unnecessary ✓ Light ✓ Mulch ✓ Mulch Legumes fix nitrogen. Too much manure = excess foliage at the expense of pods.
🥬 Lettuce / Spinach / Radishes ✓ Automne (décomposé) ✓ Ideal ⚠ Not in contact ⚠ Not in contact Coarse mulch can impede germination; prefer fine compost on the surface.
🌳 Trees / Shrubs / Hedges ✓ Spring ✓ Ideal ✓✓ Excellent mulch ✓✓ Excellent mulch Wood chips or straw as thick mulch (5–10 cm) around the base.
🌹 Roses / Perennial Flowers ✓ Autumn ✓ Ideal ✓ Mulch ✓ Mulch Autumn application for roses; surface compost in spring.
🥕 Carrots / Turnips / Beetroot ✗ Avoid ✓ Moderately ✓ Fine mulch ✓✓ Ideal Too rich = forked and hairy roots.
🧅 Onions / Garlic / Leeks ✗ Avoid ✓ Moderately ✓ Fine mulch ✓ Fine mulch Excess manure = too much foliage at the expense of bulbs. Prefer a light, well-matured compost.
🌿 Lawn / Grass ⚠ Only if matured ✓ Ideal (sieved) ✗ Not advised ✗ Not advised Chips/straw would smother the grass. Use finely sieved compost for overseeding.
💡

4 – Conseils pratiques & questions fréquentes

Start by observing your soil. Sandy, poor soil needs more organic matter than clay soil. The golden rule: several small applications are better than one large dose. When in doubt, a moderate compost application is always safe.
Yes! An ideal programme for a vegetable bed:
  • Autumn: composted manure spread on the surface
  • Planting time: compost lightly worked in
  • Printemps / Été : paille ou broyat en paillis — la paille est particulièrement efficace contre les mauvaises herbes et pour retenir l'humidité ; le broyat enrichit davantage le sol en humus
Each material plays a different and complementary role.
Le compost et le fumier bien décomposé peuvent être légèrement incorporés (10 cm). Le broyat et la paille, eux, doivent toujours rester en surface : enfouis, ils consomment de l'azote instead of releasing it (nitrogen hunger effect). Straw prevents evaporation and continues to retain water even as it decomposes. Wood chips act as a true sponge.
Adding coarse wood chips and fibrous compost improves aeration. Avoid compacting wet soil. Work in autumn to let frost and earthworms do the natural loosening.
It depends on the material and your crops:
  • Straw and wood chips: renew every year, as they decompose gradually. Straw often disappears in one season, wood chips a little more slowly.
  • Compost: an annual application of 2 to 4 kg/m² is ideal to maintain soil fertility and feed microbial life.
  • Manure: every 2 to 3 years is enough on well-maintained soil. Too frequent, it can oversaturate the soil with nitrogen and encourage weeds.
In summary: mulch every year, compost every year, and apply manure in moderation based on your soil condition.
Some manure from large cereal farms may contain persistent herbicide residues (aminopyralide). Prefer the platform's manure, sourced from known and controlled local farms.
📍
Collect your materials at the Grosbreuil platform

As a member (€2/year), you can collect:

🐄 Manure ♻ Compost 🌿 Wood Chips 🌾 Straw bales €2.50/bale
Open Wednesdays and Saturdays, 10am to noon · Stock varies
compostons-ensemble.fr
Practical guide produced by the association Compostons Ensemble – Grosbreuil (Vendée) | compostons-ensemble.fr | March 2026

Laurent Terrien: 60 years old

Éric

🎂 Laurent Terrien: 60 years old and still at the top (of the haystacks)!

Friday, 13 March 2026 — Happy birthday, Laurent!

Laurent

Some choose a fancy restaurant to celebrate their 60th birthday. Others opt for a cruise or a dance party. Laurent Terrien chose Friday the 13th. Because when you spend your life defying agricultural conventions, you might as well start with superstition.

There he is, perched atop a pile of straw like a king on his throne — a throne weighing 400 quintals, to be sure, but a throne nonetheless. Cap screwed onto his head by a force that science has not yet elucidated, legs bent nearly two metres above the ground (him too), he smiles. He looks like someone who has understood something that the rest of the world is still searching for.

And frankly... he's not wrong.

🌱 The man who talks to earthworms

While his neighbours watched the weather forecast on television, Laurent was looking at his soil. For more than twenty years, at EARL Les Luctières in Vendée, he has been practising conservation agriculture — a method that basically consists of treating the land with the respect you would give your grandmother: gently, intelligently, and without turning it upside down.

The result? His soil is alive, his cows are happy, and he uses only one chemical product: a single herbicide. In an industry where some spray with the enthusiasm of a DJ at a rave party, it's almost poetic.

🌧️ His favourite toy: a rain machine

Laurent invented — or rather co-invented with great enthusiasm — a portable rain simulator. A table with four trays that reproduces showers under controlled conditions: intensity, duration, drop size... Everything is adjustable.

To put it plainly: Laurent makes it rain whenever and wherever he wants. Zeus would have been jealous.

This tool allows him to show people, during hikes and events, how healthy soil absorbs and purifies water — and how poorly maintained soil lets it run off (along with the soil itself). He's quite the teacher, this chap.

🌳 The hedge planter

Since 2012, Laurent has been replanting hedges in his fields. Trees, crops, animals — all together on the same plot of land. It's called agroforestry. He is one of the pioneers of this practice in the Vendée region. While others were still tearing down the last remaining hedgerows, he was replanting them.

Objective: restore humus, store carbon, improve biodiversity. And perhaps also, let's be honest, provide shade for eating your sandwich at lunchtime.

🎯 His philosophy in one sentence

"Promoting production, while respecting the environment, and passing on knowledge to young farmers to give them greater independence."

Sixty years old, with a vision that teaches lessons to people half his age. Member of APAD, involved in Heritage Days, dairy farmer with his wife, pioneering farmer... the list goes on.

So there you have it. Happy birthday, Laurent.

It took you sixty years to understand how the earth works. The rest of the world is just beginning to listen to you. Keep climbing on your straw boots — the view is better from up there, and you can see further than any of us. 🌾

Practical guide to composting in Grosbreuil

Éric

The practical guide
to composting on the Grosbreuil platform

Would you like to reduce your waste while participating in a local community initiative? The Grosbreuil composting platform welcomes you! To ensure that our community's black gold is of the highest possible quality, here is what to do when you visit.

🕒 Opening hours

Before loading your boot, please note the times when our volunteers and permanent staff will be there to welcome you:

Pesée

Step 1: Sorting and collection at home

It all starts in your kitchen. Fill your compost bin with your peelings, coffee grounds and vegetable scraps.

  • Grosbreuil's little extra: We also collect your green waste (hedge trimmings, branches). It is shredded on site to produce valuable mulch, which we then mix with bio-waste to balance the compost.

Step 2: Moving to the hut (Weighing)

Upon arrival at the platform, please proceed to the reception hut. This is a crucial step in the environmental monitoring of our municipality.

  1. Weigh your compost bin using the scales.

  2. Announce the weight as well as your bioseau number to the permanent staff member present.

  3. This data is valuable: it is sent to the Community of Municipalities to measure the ecological impact of our collective action and optimise waste management in the region.

Step 3: Towards the swath (Spreading)

Once the weight has been recorded, head to the windrow (the long pile of compost) that is being filled.

  • Empty the contents of your compost bin directly onto the top.

  • Ensure that you distribute your waste evenly to facilitate the work of microorganisms.

Step 4: Watering and protection (The secret of the mixture)

To ensure that decomposition occurs without odour and efficiently, two finishing steps are necessary:

  • Watering: Lightly moisten your additions (Garden hose on site). Water is the driving force behind bacterial life.

arrosage

  • Covering: Take a shovelful of mulch (made from green waste shredded on site) and cover your organic waste generously (at least 3 times the contents of your organic waste bin).).

RecouvrirBroyat

Why use shredded material? It provides the necessary carbon, absorbs juices and prevents flies from laying eggs. It guarantees healthy compost!

Step 5: The circle is complete

cycle

Thanks to your contributions and the team's composting efforts, waste is transformed into rich soil conditioner. By participating, you prevent tonnes of organic matter from being incinerated and create a local resource.

Not sure about a type of waste?

Please feel free to ask the staff for advice when you visit the hut, or consult our detailed information sheets at compostons-ensemble.fr.

Shall we meet next Wednesday or Saturday at the platform?

 

The little Fripons with big hearts for compost!

Éric

FriponsHeureuxOn 24 December, the eve of the festive season and a time for sharing, our association Compostons Ensemble à Grosbreuil had the pleasure of welcoming six little Fripons from the brand new leisure centre "La Halte aux Fripons".
A visit that was nothing out of the ordinary... since it now marks the beginning of a meaningful weekly event!

Every Wednesday, accompanied by their supervisors, the children cross the small road that separates us to come and actively participate in the life of our composting site.

A seemingly simple gesture, but one that conveys essential values: respect for the environment, learning by doing, and passing on knowledge from an early age.

In the photo, our mascot, faithful ambassador of joyful and lively compost, does not hide her happiness at welcoming this cheerful group.
Et comment lui donner tort ? Ces moments partagés sont une véritable bouffée d’enthousiasme pour l’ensemble des bénévoles.

🙏 A big thank you to Benoît, from La Halte aux Fripons, for his commitment and determination to get children involved in local environmental and civic initiatives in a very practical way.
🙏 Thanks also to Annick, chairwoman of Compostons Ensemble in Grosbreuil, for her warm welcome, her availability and her constant energy in bringing these inspiring human partnerships to life.

These regular meetings perfectly illustrate what we stand for: lively, collective and intergenerational composting, where everyone, regardless of age, can contribute.

The Little Fripons are always welcome... and our mascot is already eagerly awaiting them next Wednesday 😊

 

Happy New Year 2026: May our resolutions grow like our crops!

Éric

Dear Composters,

The entire Compostons Ensemble team wishes you all the best for the new year 2026! May this year bring you as much satisfaction as seeing a beautiful pile of well-matured compost, steaming slightly in the morning coolness of Grosbreuil.

Resolutions that germinate

Like every New Year, it's time for resolutions. You know, those promises we make enthusiastically on 1 January and which, like carrot peelings, end up... well, you get the idea. But this year will be different! We can feel it in our compost bins.

Perhaps you have resolved to sort your organic waste more carefully? To visit the recycling centre more regularly? Or simply to stop confusing the yellow bins with the brown bins? Whatever your resolutions, remember: like compost, they need time, patience and regular turning to produce good results!

The year of the motivated composter

2026 promises to be a busy year for our association. Between the awareness-raising workshops we could organise, the drop-in sessions at the platform, and our traditional get-togethers over a cup of coffee (compostable, of course), there will be plenty of opportunities to meet up.

And let's face it: where else can you passionately discuss the ideal texture of a windrow, debate the merits of shredded branches, or marvel at a beautiful, plump earthworm? Our Grosbreuil platform is a unique place where we turn our waste into brown gold and our neighbours into friends.

A thought for those who are starting the year differently

Amidst these joyful wishes and our enthusiasm at the start of the year, our thoughts go out to all those for whom the year is beginning under more difficult circumstances. To those who are caring for a sick loved one, going through a personal ordeal, or facing challenges that we may not always be aware of.

We send you our full support and friendship. Please feel free to drop by and see us at the platform: sometimes, a smile and a few words exchanged can do as much good as an afternoon of gardening.

So, shall we meet at the compost heap?

2026 means 365 days to make a difference, one peel at a time. It means 365 opportunities to prove that small gestures, multiplied by thousands of people, can change the world (or at least improve our gardens).

Meet us at the Grosbreuil platform to continue this wonderful circular adventure together! And don't forget: good compost, like a good year, is a clever mix of moisture, heat and good company.

We wish you all a wonderful 2026!

The Compostons Ensemble team

P.S.: Office hours will continue as normal this week. Come along, especially after the holidays... we imagine your bins are overflowing with clementine peel and leftover Yule log!

When Grosbreuil dresses up... winter edition

Éric

 

On 16 January, Grosbreuil woke up under a pristine duvet.

Fresh, generous, almost insolent snow, as if winter had decided — for once — to do things properly.

GrosbreuilNeigeThe village square, frozen in hushed silence, seemed to be holding its breath. The bell tower, the usual sentinel of our daily gatherings, watched the scene with solemn white gravity. And on this road, usually dedicated to hurried footsteps and impatient cars... a sleigh. Yes, a sleigh. In Grosbreuil. In 2026. So anything is still possible, which is good news for the new year.

A bundled-up adult, smile hidden beneath a beard and hat, patiently pulls a delighted young passenger. No engine, no petrol, not even a ticket validator in sight — and yet the spirit is there: joyful simplicity, unapologetic slowness, and shared simple pleasures. Ultimately, perhaps the best mode of transport is the one that makes you smile.

This heavy snowfall reminds us that nature, even when we think we know it well, still has surprises in store for us. It invites us to slow down, take a fresh look at our familiar landscapes, and welcome the new year with a little more lightness... and why not a few unexpected slips and slides.

At Compostons Ensemble, we love it when the seasons give us reasons to smile, reflect and come together. In January, the earth rests beneath the cold, but ideas continue to germinate. We promise they will resurface in spring — nice and warm in the compost.

Many thanks to Jean-Pierre, known as "Jipébé", for this photo, which perfectly captures this moment in time, when Grosbreuil briefly took on the appearance of a Nordic postcard.

May this new year be like that morning: a little whiter, a little slower, and above all, full of shared moments of happiness.

🌨️🌱✨

Merry Christmas 2025 to everyone!

Éric

VerNoel2025During this festive season, the entire Compostons Ensemble team would like to wish all its members a very Merry Christmas 2025. 🌟

Once again this year, thanks to you, organic waste has been given a new lease of life, the organic waste bins have been filled to the brim, and the collective spirit has worked wonders. Your active participation, good humour and constant commitment are the greatest reward for our association. Thank you for this positive energy that drives composting forward... and our projects!

🎁 A brief message for prospective members
If composting appeals to you and you're tempted to give it a try, there's a gift waiting for you: a beautiful green compost bin, ready to be put to use in your kitchen. What better way to start the year... on the right foot (and with the right waste)!

We wish you all a wonderful festive season, filled with warmth, good food, relaxation... and why not a little composting too? 😉

📅 We are already looking forward to seeing you in mid-January at our next general meeting, to start 2026 together, more motivated than ever, more numerous than ever, and as committed as ever.

Season's greetings to all,
The Compostons Ensemble team♻️🎄

  1. Operation turnaround!
  2. Annickstérix at the Gruaulais (or the great invasion of Grue)
  3. 2025 - Operation Straw
  4. Wanted: dove in distress seeks cat sanctuary

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⚠️ Windrow Alert

Is the windrow not heating up? The most likely cause is a lack of carbon. Wood chips are essential to balance the nitrogen-rich food scraps. Please always respect:1 part caddy waste  +  3 parts wood chips

💡 Did You Know?

Adding dry material (leaves, wood chips) prevents gnats.

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