Do you garden? Do you compost? I do both. Between the garden plants and the fruits and vegetables we eat around here, we have a lot of plant matter that would normally go into the trash. So last Spring, I finally went out and bought a counter top compost holder (seen above) and a big compost bin (where I can empty the counter top compost) for outside.But in reality, I started composting last Fall. A la Rachel Ray, I had a large plastic bowl that I kept on the countertop. Whenever I cooked, I would throw any leftover plant materials in the bowl. Then, after dinner, I would go out, dig a hole in the garden, and bury it. Seriously. Kind of goofy, but I kid you not, when it came time to start working the soil in the garden this spring, the little compost holes had turned in to black patches of rich organic material. I will admit that some things didn’t breakdown very well using this method, mostly onion skins, corn cobs and corn husks. AND it was a little harder to bury things when the ground froze. AND we had some plants pop up in the garden of unknown origin (we called them “volunteers” most likely plants that sprung up from the seeds I discarded.) Still, I think it was worth it and a great way to generate less trash and benefit the garden.
Anyway, here’s a list of things that I compost now:
Ø Coffee grinds (and filters)
Ø Vegetable and fruit peels/seeds/stems
Ø Egg Shells
Ø Paper towels
Ø Newspaper sheets (on the occasion we end up with some)
Ø Leaves from the yard
Ø Garden clippings
Hmm, here's whats in my counter top composter right now. The lid has some kind of charcoal filter that makes it not stink while its sitting there on your counter.
No meat products or oily things ( I don’t want to attract any critters) and no garden plants that had suffered an untimely death (don’t want to infect the compost with disease or pests.)
What type of outdoor bin did you get? I've been researching them for a year, and can't commit to one because of the mixed reviews and varying prices.
ReplyDeleteI went to a place in south St. Louis called Home Eco and bought the cheapest one they had (which I think still ran about $100) Just the basic covered top with air holes on the sides and a bottom that opens up so you can get the compost out. I wish we had bought the more expensive hand crank one where you crank it to rotate the stuff around. Our stuff is breaking down V-E-R-Y S-L-O-W-L-Y.
ReplyDeleteI told Skip a couple of weeks ago that I was gonna go out and take some of the stuff out of the top pf the compost pile and bury it in the garden, but he wouldn't let me do it. He thought that would be a recipe for disaster. He was probably right.
A girl I go to school with said she just has a pile that her husband built a little fence around. Then, they keep is covered with a little opening. The air gets in from the sides, but it doesn't get too wet from rain. The fence keeps the animals out, and keeps the pile in one area. I was thinking about doing this, but who would build my fence??
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I love your blog! It's my new indulgence - Like Cosmo for people who eat!
You know, if we had the space we would have built our own too. We were just discussing it today, it would have been much easier to get in there an turn the pile over every once in a while.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the compliment!
This looks very doable.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.helpfulgardener.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15273
snjmom
That is brilliant. That guy's produce looked good too.
ReplyDelete