See, rounded corners even make old onions and rotten apple cores pretty! (What's that? The snow helps? NO! It's all the rounded corners! Lah lah lah I can't hear you.)
[I've been meaning to write this post for ages, and now I've waited for so long that our compost pile is completely covered in snow.]
Composting. It can be stinky, messy, and gross, I won't lie.
But! It's ridiculously easy, makes some awesomely potent garden juice, and reduces your waste.
There's some science behind it, which I never bothered to learn - but basically, put food waste (well, raw fruit and veggie scraps), yard waste, and/or dryer lint in a pile and let it sit. Rotate it every once and a while. And it turns into dirt. Or some sort of natural fertilizer, I'm not quite sure....Let me consult my sources. Oh, Mike says it's both. Sweet mother, who wouldn't want some rich topsoil? Sign me up.
(Okay, so I don't actually have a yard that I can plant in. But I'm sure the future tenants of this house will appreciate the rich topsoil that's coming their way.)
What works for us:
- We tried a big pile at first, and that was no bueno, so Mike took some chicken wire and some wooden stakes and whipped up up a nifty little compost pile. (You could also buy a fancy pants compost bin or tumbler. But we do things on the cheap 'round these parts.)
- We have a few old yogurt containers in the kitchen: we keep some scraps in there until we can take them out to the pile out back.
- Every few months, we stick a shovel or pitchfork in the pile and mix it up a little to aerate it.
Do you compost? Do you know anyone who composts? Does the idea gross you out?
When we moved into our house, the former residents were composting what appears to be bark chips, onion skins, and cat hair.
ReplyDeleteI think they missed the Composting 101 class that you seemed to pick up by osmosis = )
We're going to compost next year, but first we have to move their attempt at it to another part of the yard...wish me luck?
i know someone who composts and it does tend to get very stinky!!!! But more power to you!!!
ReplyDeleteif you cover with enough leaves/yard clippings it won't smell./
ReplyDeletemy dad composts - and i would love to, but i don't know where we'll be living after this. and unless it's in a house we own i don't want to make the effort. but every time i throw stuff away i think/say "this could be composted!"
My dad and step-mom compost. They throw the cat hair in too--it's apparently great for composting, but I don't know why. They sell organic produce as a hobby, so they need all the compost they can get. We live in a third floor apartment, so don't have anywhere to put a bin for it. Maybe someday. :)
ReplyDeleteWeirdly, I spent most of yesterday afternoon researching composting. I'm trying to decide if it's really feasible for condo living (I don't have a yard). I'm also a little worried about the methane gas that can be produced by composting indoors. I looked into vermiculture (worms) but my boyfriend thinks we should wait on that until we get a house.
ReplyDeleteooh I totally want to try this now! I am not sure how I will do it wiht an apartment but I am willing to try
ReplyDeleteI love the blog title :) We attempted composting when we were in our apartment but it didn't work very well there. It was pretty nasty. We used a big plastic bin and poked holes in the bottom for ventilation...bought some worms to put in it and everything. Now that we actually have a yard and a way for us to actually USE the soil, we'll probably start it up again. Chris thought of it as a fun science experiment, haha.
ReplyDeleteOops meant to link this: http://cheapluxe.blogspot.com/2008/05/diy-compost-bin.html
ReplyDeleteI wrote a blog post about it last year when we put ours together ;)
i just took a large container out to our compost bin. we actually have TWO in the backyard. did i tell you these digs are sweet? yeah, composting is for lovers (of the earth and good soil).
ReplyDeletei have an idea, why don't you come and check out my compost bins. this weekend? great.
Dryer lint? Really? That's interesting.
ReplyDeleteI think the people who live next door to my parents did/do compost, but they have a daughter with a horticulture degree so they probably know what they're doing. I'd probably wind up with one of those compost piles that combusts unexpectedly.
I've been wanting to compost for quite some time now. We're running into the same problem as a lot of people though. Apartment living. While we do have a small fenced in yard, and more private yard area, I still feel like we're too new at it to be doing it in a public apartment. I think we're going to wait until we get a house. But we definitely would love to do it.
ReplyDeleteIf I had a yard, I would definitely compost. It's a great idea, and who doesn't want some good soil for your garden? Exactly.
ReplyDeleteAlso, did I read somewhere that y'all made soap for Christmas one year? I'm thinking about doing that and was curious what you did (if you did indeed make soap.) I hope you're doing well this week, lady!
This is awesome - sounds so easy!
ReplyDeleteI used the excuse that we live in a rental house for a long time. When I finally started doing it I put all the stuff in a kiddie pool in the back yard. We drilled holes in the bottom of one of those cheap plastic pools and put the compost in there. That way I can drag it to the garden to spread it and when we move I can take it with me.
ReplyDeleteWe throw our scraps in a covered waste bin and try to take them out once they have broken down a bit, but before they get runny. If you keep it covered you don't have to smell it, and if you keep the actual compost outdoors covered there is no stink either.
Once we have a house and a yard, I definitely want to try this!
ReplyDeletewhen i have a yard, i will compost.
ReplyDeleteright now? no yard, no compost.
andddddd i never felt awful about that until RIGHT NOW.
hahah, jubelle needs to buy a house, stat.
I don't compost, but it sounds like a good idea. I shall start this when I get a place of my own.
ReplyDeleteI'm DYING to compost. Every time I throw something away, I think, I WISH WE COULD COMPOST! But we don't have a yard, being in a second floor apartment. Some day...
ReplyDeleteWe started composting when we moved into our new house in April. It's awesome! Between composting and the fact that we can now recycle (can you believe Chicago doesn't have a mandatory recycling program???), our trash output is considerably less. I think we throw out one full bag of trash every two to three weeks. That's a HUGE difference. Go, composter, go!
ReplyDeleteAs you know, we compost too. When Jonathan mentioned it to me, I looked at him like he was crazy. But I've completely warmed up to the idea. Only he is allowed to compost; like, actually dump the stuff in the hole & everything. The thought of touching slimey, broken-down to a mushy mess veggie scraps make me squirm. & the little buggies that fly around, too. Yuck.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that you could compost the lint from the laundry!!! How cool it that?
& you're right; I've seen a significant change in how much "trash" we throw away. Back in the day, we used to dump our small kitchen trashcan once a day; now we dump it once every few weeks, because we compost everything & recycle everything. It's a great feeling. :]
We don't compost, because frankly I think our neighbors in our building would hate us and might have issue with us using common property to do it. But ... I wanna know how you get those pretty rounded corners for your pictures. Pretty please!
ReplyDeleteI am all about it! However, Hubby fell off the bandwagon when he found maggots in the compost box and dry heaved into the bushes for five minutes. True story. Sorry so vivid.
ReplyDeleteSadness about Twitter :(
I would love to compost when I get a house. Right now I'm in a condo with no land at all, and the idea of worms doing composting inside is just beyond me. So, composting is still ahead for me. Great job on starting yours!
ReplyDeleteOkay this is a great reminder.. We always talk about composting but never seem to actually execute our plan. I think we'll look into getting a bin though.. And we'll have to find a dog-proof location
ReplyDelete