Nature is a yearnin', get your compost pile a turnin'!
"Recycle, reduce, reuse" goes for food, too. And with most restaurants offering limited hours and options these days, more home-cooked meals are being had by many of us. Which means more food scraps with the potential to be repurposed!
Composting at home doesn't have to be time-consuming, costly, messy, or smelly, as some assume to be the case. It's actually a very simple and affordable process to get started. Here...we'll walk you through one way of going about it:
STEP 1: Choose a large (18 gallon minimum) plastic bin with a lid, and drill holes about 2 inches apart all around the bin.
The holes allow for circulation of air, which helps everything inside to break down more efficiently.
STEP 2: To start the compost pile, you'll add a layer of "brown" materials, which includes items such as dry leaves, good garden soil, straw/hay, and wood chips.
This layer supplies the carbon portion of the process, necessary to invite natural breakdown on the added scraps.
STEP 3: Next, add a lesser amount of "green" materials, which are items you'll compile from your kitchen, including egg shells, coffee grounds, and fruit and vegetable scraps. Do not add meat, bones, animal feces, bread, or dairy.
The green brings a healthy dose of nitrogen to the table...or...bin.
STEP 4: Mist water over the pile each time a layer of green is added and turn the pile regularly. A good shake of the bin will do early on, but you'll need a small as your compost stash grows.
Compost naturally generates heat so the material feeling warm is a good sign. If it's cool, it likely needs more moisture and/or green materials added.
Side note: If the contents are too wet or getting smelly, add dry leaves or untreated sawdust to balance out the moisture of the contents in the bin. On the other hand, if the contents are too dry, simply mist more with a spray bottle.
The compost should be ready after about 3 months or so, though you can speed up the process by adding a handful of nitrogen fertilizer or commercial compost starter.
Here are some tips for better composting, and here is a list of uses for your compost once it's ready. Of course, reaching out to locals farmers and offering your compost is always an excellent community-supporting idea, too!
Nature is a yearnin', get your compost pile a turnin'!
