09.7.2011 Composting... let's talk trash.
I finally put my money where my mouth is. We bought a composting bin two weeks ago and began our adventure of turning our kitchen scraps into fine nutritious soil for the garden. You may recall from my packaging free kitchen post, that my family has taken on a serious commitment to reduce our trash. It started with refusing to by foods with packaging (especially those that we cannot recycle). Our recycling bin only contains the packaging from items that I could not find a packaging-free solution for i.e. wine bottles and milk cartons, but I'm pleased to say the amount of trash in our actual trash bin is very small. The ballooning land fills have expressed their gratitude.
In the past I sent our food scraps each week to my daughter's school (in a plastic bag...argh) for the composting bin which feeds their organic garden. But this year we have decided to compost here at home instead. Florida, while having ideal weather for sustaining winter herbs, fruit trees and more, does not not have the rich soil that is needed. Due to our sandy, shell filled earth, I was always spending lots of money on bags of garden soil every time I planted something new.
After the first week of having a bowl by the sink in which to collect the scraps (and catching a glimpse at the unappetizing peelings or worse yet detecting a whiff of them), it became obvious that we were going to need a small sink side bin in which to hold the scraps until the daily trip to the composting bin outside. This attractive one that I found has a filter to prevent any smells from escaping.
I am known for over analyzing and researching something before beginning. But with composting, I decided to jump in and get started and learn as I go. I've already learned by talking to seasoned composters that it is important to layer, like a lasagna, your compost with wet kitchen scraps and dry matter, such as dry grass or leaves. I've also learned that composting with worms, vermiculture, speeds up the breaking down of matter and leaves you with a rich nutrient filled soil... and that's exactly what I'm after. You can buy the hungry composting worms online, or like it did, find a "composting friend" that would be willing share some of their little fellas with you. (Thanks in advance, Miranda!)
The best part is I'm teaching my children the importance of reducing our footprint on the earth. My daughter loves to garden and the composting is right up her alley... worms and all. She is what we refer to as the "trash nazi." If she discovers garbage in the wrong receptacle, she will find the perpetrator and make them amend their ways. I love her spirit.
Being a newbie to the composting world, I'd love any advice you can give. Please click here to share your experience!.
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Reader Comments (12)
Hi Lisa,
You should to talk to Eileen about composting. She has been doing it for a while. She might have some ideas for you.
Ellen
I've thinking about composting myself so I'd be interested to see what you think of it and how manageable it is to do.
Ellen - Thanks... I didn't know she was a composter! I'll ask her advice.
We have been thinking about it for the past two years, but have not made it real though! Still waiting. I love the little bin. My in-laws are composting and they love doing it. The only complain they have is that the trash bowl by the sink. I will send the link for your little bin to them. I am sure they will appreciate it!
That's a good idea. I should buy one too.
Lisa,
One of the best things about living in the woods is that our "composting heap" is right off the deck and just a fling of the arm away........works like a charm.
enjoyed the trash talk :P def learnt a lot from it...australia is one of the least 'green 'countries in the world apparently when it comes to plastic and recycling. thanks for the inspiration and sharing what u know! btw, first time i heard those worms can be purchased online! wow u really can get anything online these days hahaha.
My parents had a compost when I was growing up, but I'd forgotten all about it. It really is such a great idea.
I don't have much experience with composting but I am really excited to learn more. Keep us posted on your journeys with composting!
Love this! We are big composters and I think you recall me mentioning our city garbage has curbside composting. We put everyting compostable (down to napkins and paper towels) into a dedicated, city provided 'garbage' can which is picked up every two weeks. As city residents we can then get free compost (but I don't since people could have composted weed seeds).
I started a composter at home with a simple garbage can, drilled with holes and was going exactly what you descibe, combining 'green' and 'brown' waste. Shredded paper, veg scraps, leaves (unsprayed) etc. Then life got too buy. I also have a worm composter which I love. I have alot of 'black dirt' now that I was going to add to my garden but never got around to it. I think you can make compost 'tea' with it (put a baseball size amount in a polyester sock or old nylon stocking, tie it off, place in a 5 gallon bucket of water, let it steep for a few days and fertilize your garden). So many great things to do with compost!
I love your counter bin, so elegant. We get alot of fruit flies so I would fear it's lovliness would be overcome by them were I to use it. Great post!
I have been composting for years. Since adding my chicken manure and the coop woodchips I have been getting amazing soil, but it was great before as well.
Few important facts...keep the pile wet, but not soaked. Add more brown, i.e. dead material, than green, i.e. kitchen scraps. Green stuff tends to collapse keeping the precious oxygen away from the pile, brown things, especially twigs will keep the pile soft and wel areated. Keep it areated by mixing it once a week. Keep the twigs small so they will compost faster. Don't add diseased plants to the pile You can keep a bail of hay next to your pile to add more brown if it start stinking.
Shoot me an e-mail if you have more questions.
I have been composting in Los Angeles for a couple of years. I imagine composting experiences differ depending on city and climate, but I would like to offer the following:
1) many cities are trying to reduce the amount of waste they need to pick up, and provide compost bins at reduced prices. I bought 2 large bins and a compost turner for $50. I understand that the bins can cost $50 each. I recommend going onto your city website and doing a little research to find out if your city offers such things.
2) you do not need to buy worms. The little devils will find your bin and multiply in unimaginable numbers. It's amazing! I was always a little squeamish about crawly things until I got invested in compost, and now I have hundreds, probably thousands in each bin, and I love them!
3) if you have a countertop collector (I have one like the one pictured in this blog) you need to be religious about emptying it. In the summer it can become a breeding ground for fruit flies who then will infest your kitchen and surrounding rooms. They get into your kitchen and bathroom drains, and are very difficult to get rid of.
4) the compost that is produced from a relatively minimal effort is amazing! When you mix it into your soil, things grow like never before.
5) if your compost is not completely "cooked" before you distribute it around your garden, you may be surprised by what sprouts up unexpectedly. This could be good or bad. I had about a dozen tomato plants of several varieties grow all over my rose garden this summer. I decided to let them go, and had amazing tomatoes that were growing so fast I could not give them away, and had handfuls of tomatoes every night for 2 months. On the flip side, my rose garden didn't look too pretty.
Bottom line: composting is great, and will give you a whole new appreciation for dirt.