Would you like to hear about my garbage?
I mean, as it relates to compost?
Do you compost?
If you don’t, you should!
The way we do it here at the homestead turns out to be a pretty easy process. I’ll share my experience with you and claim that I’m not an expert at all. But if you garden, or would like to, composting makes a whole lot of sense.
Plus, wouldn’t it be great to put your wilted and past due fruits and veggies to work for you instead of throwing them in the garbage? Everyone can compost some of their waste. I think you can even do dog doo, but that’s a topic for Scout’s Dog Blog.
So, that’s more than you wanted to know about me, right? This is the simple structure made with only chicken wire. The structure sits in a wooded area far enough from our house to not even notice it. My husband built it, and if he can put it together, anyone can.
So, here’s the process (soup to nuts, or maybe, fruit to dirt):
::Scraps and remnants of anything that grows in the ground get put in a bowl. Lots of coffee grounds too!
::When bowl is full, it gets added to the pile in the backyard.
::Pile gets turned with a pitchfork occasionally.
::A layer of leaves or grass clippings is added for nitrogen and to balance wet vs. dry.
::Wait patiently for compost.
We don’t use a special container. I just use an old Pottery Barn bowl with a salad plate on top.
There are many “pretty” compost containers to choose from, like the one on the right, that fit on your counter-top, have filters for odor-control and compostable bag liners. We fill and empty our bowl so quickly with a family of four, I’ve never noticed any odor.
That’s the gist of how I compost. Hopefully, if you’re not doing it yet, you’re thinking about it. Can you compost if you don’t want to grow anything? Heck yeah! You could be a gardener’s hero by giving your compost to a local church or community garden. You could also use Freecycle to find someone to take that black gold off your hands. Maybe you can get a little free produce out of the deal? All in all, composting is do-able for everyone. It’s like a little smelly gift we can all give to the world.