This is the view from the cabin where I lived one summer, working on the farm. The farm was my first experience with LARGE scale composting. I struggled for a little while after that to apply the same practice to my home (I don’t live on a farm, where will my compost go, I produce so little, does it really matter?). It took me a couple years to get myself moving on the composting front, but after that internal struggle, I’m pleased to report that yes, it does matter!
I started with an experiment last fall, collecting all my compostable things in a tupperware container, and seeing how much I was wasting by throwing those things away was enough to kick my butt into gear and start composting properly. The answers to my questions were simple.
Where will my compost go? There are three units in my building; together we contribute to the compost heap out back. When it’s ready, some goes to the tiny raised beds in our driveway, and the rest is shared with a community garden down the hill.
I produce so little, does it really matter? After my little tupperware experiment, it was clear that I did NOT produce so little, and when combined with my neighbors, we’ve got ourselves so much compost that we don’t even use it all.
So, if you need a little kick start like I did, just collect your compostable bits for a week. See how much there is (you’ll be surprised). And, check out these wacky things that can be composted (I learned this from Gayla of You Grow Girl):
- Gum
- Hair
- Toothpicks
- Pet bedding (Rabbits, hamsters, and other herbivores only!!)
- Paper egg cartons
- Tissues and paper toweling (Depending on what was on them)
- Cotton balls (Depending on what was on them)
- Paper bags
- Toilet rolls
- Shredded paper, newspaper, receipts and documents (non-glossy)
- Wine corks
- Matches
- Dry dog food (Be careful about attracting vermin but makes a good compost activator for getting your pile rocking.)
- Cardboard
- Old spices and herbs from the cupboard
- Nut shells
- Wine (Another decent compost activator)
- Felt, old wool, bamboo or cotton socks
- Dust from sweeping and vacuuming
- Old pasta
- Spoiled flower bouquets and their water
Wow! Compost, watch your trash pile shrink, and feel good about putting something awesome back into the earth. If you need instructions, just do some Googling. There are a myriad of sites out there with good guides. I like this site. Or do a little search on SuperForest; the topic’s been covered many times.
And just for Sunday-morning-kicks, here’s a cute baby goat:
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