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| Photo Credit: Sharon Smith |
Woooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhoooooooooooooooooooo!
Finally.
Bought a compost bin. Only minor assembly required.
And attended a workshop for a little push / support.
The number ONE thing I learned and wish to share with you if you’re even slightly considering trying to compost:
It’s not a science. It’s an experiment.
Tend to it every day or leave it alone for a six month period and you’ll likely come out with about the same results.
Awesome.
Keeping a compost alive will be far easier with my green thumb than keeping a garden alive. My mom’s the expert at that one.
So here’s the quick rundown; starter facts I walked away with:
1. Get (or make) a bin. Purchase one through your city or just search for one online. They’ve got basic containers where you use your human strength to turn the soil with a good ‘ole fashioned pitchfork, drum-like bins that turn with a handle and some that aerate themselves, doing all the work for you.
2. Set up your bin in a spot with half shade and half sunlight.
3. Fill it up in layers. One third of the contents should be carbon material (brown leaves or newspaper) and two thirds should be nitrogen-rich (green grass clippings, kitchen scraps, coffee grounds AND filters, manure from non meat-eating animals). There are items you absolutely should NOT put in compost such as human/cat/dog feces, wet grass, meat, fats, bones, fish, dairy, cooking oil, anything with salad dressing…
4. Moisture and air are important! Keep your compost moist by watering it one to two times a week (not too much though as over watering kills the compost so you’ll have to start over) as well as aerated by turning it frequently. Didn’t I tell ya? Not a science…
5. If it's steaming, it's working! Just a good sign that bacteria and organisms are doing their job and breaking stuff down.
6. That’s it! Can take as little as two months to see some finished product!
7. Move your compost bin after each cycle. The bottom is open to the earth, constantly feeding it nutrients. So share the goods with as much of your garden as possible by moving it around.
8. The part I’m not looking forward to most: bugs. I was assured that they will come. And potentially some other critters. Ants MUST be kept away; too many and you’ve got to throw it out. Worms that wiggle their way in are fine, as are those annoying gnats that are bound to frequent your compost spot. To lesson all these guys’ presence, however, chop up food scraps and cover with compost as opposed to just dropping them in. Then put a lid on it.
There are millions of sites on the ‘how-to’ of composting but here are two that I like:
Recycle now – Making Compost (I’m sure I’ll be visiting this one frequently)
And there you have it.
And there you have it.
Now it’s off to compost. I’ll post progress every now and then, in between highlights of the other sustainable habits we’ve been creating around here. If you already compost or are looking to start, would love to hear about your tips and tricks or progress…
Alright. Time to get dirty.
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