At the request of my bff over at Boulou Boulou, I'll be chronicling the progression of my newly instated compost bin.(Image to the left) I've chosen to place my compost bin near the backyard shed. That way, it's not too far from the tools (when I need to aerate the compost) and it's not too far from the kitchen door, making it easier to take out the compost bucket in the kitchen. :)
Before installing the compost bin on this spot, I dug up the weeds (I would've dug up the grass too, had there been any) and turned over the soil. Turning over the soil makes it easier for the bacteria and the worms from the ground to get to the compostable material! (Just as an fyi, there is no bottom to the bin, allowing for the organisms in the soil to get to the compost) Urgh, toiling in the soil on a hot, humid day!! But I rewarded myself with a cold shower and some ice cream. Yum!
A compost bin is not necessary to make compost, but living in a residential area, it may be better to have some sort of bin or little shelter for the compost, for the neighbors as well as to prevent animals (squirrels, raccoons, skunks, etc...) to get at your food wastes!
(Image to the right) I put a layer of tree branches and sticks for better aeration of the compost pile (though I may have not put enough...) and piled on a bunch of "brown" compost matter above. Seeing as I'm starting this compost bin in summer and there aren't a whole lot of "brown" matter around, I added things that may have been more "green" (e.g. grass clippings, and dried green leaves).Anyhow, I think I'll add in some newspaper clippings to bring up the amount of "brown" materials.
So anyway, the whole thing about the "brown" and the "green" materials is quite simple. There's two major elements that are crucial to the process of composting: carbon and nitrogen (three, I guess, if you count oxygen!) Materials that are high in carbon are "brown" materials and they are things like branches, the dried leaves you pick up in autumn, newspaper, paper, etc. Materials that are high in nitrogen are "green" and they're things like your fruits and vegetable scraps, grass clippings, basically "green" and alive things (speaking about plants, of course). It's good to have about 50-50 of brown and green materials. And once you know that, well, all you have to do is every time you add in some scraps, just add in a layer of dried leaves, or newspaper clippings (if you didn't have the foresight to collect them in autumn and store them!) It helps you to keep the ratio of green/brown balanced, helps to keep the layers well mixed AND it's better to keep the scraps not at the top (since the middle/bottom decomposes faster than the top, and the point of the compost is to decompose the food waste, right!?)
So there you go, an informative post, with pictures to track my composting progress! I'll let you know if bugs suddenly grow in the compost pile, or if something else equally crazy happens!!
Credits: I reviewed many sources before starting this composting project! Here are some links for you if you would like to start composting as well!
http://www.helpfulgardener.com/ The forums section is very helpful, with many experienced gardeners sharing their tips and insights!
http://supercompostingtips.com/ As the title of this helpful blog suggests, these are some super composting tips!! ;) Very well written and informative blog with information about hot and cold composting, as well as vermicomposting!
Backyard Magic - The Composting Handbook -- This is the New Brunswick gov't guide to composting, a basic overview of the composting system! A good read if you're absolutely new to composting, as I was! :)
