C is for Composting

My very first composting experience resulted in my breeding a healthy colony of maggots which completely grossed me out. Having searched the internet to find directions in constructing a compost bin, I settled on a lidded metal trash can with holes poked in on the sides. My thinking was that I could roll it around to mix the contents and not have to stir it. Mistake. Not only did I have too much “green”, vegetable and fruit waste, and not enough “brown”, dried leaves and paper, I added too much water and kept the lid on which did not give the mixture enough air. So, the little critters grew and I stopped composting.

A few years later, I got some info about making a bin using wooden palettes and threw one together with jute twine. It worked great. Fortunately I do not have a dog that is interested in rotting vegetables and the other wildlife in my backyard don't seem to bother with it either. After a season of composting, I added an addition of two more palettes so I could have one side resting and decomposing while the other side is actively getting filled up with fresh waste and leaves. This system seems to work fine although I do not generate a large amount of organic kitchen waste, it is a great way to lessen the amount of trash I send to the city's landfill.

Some folks shy away from composting because they think that it is going to smell and attract pests. I think that the smelliest part of the operation can be the plastic bucket next to the sink. If I don't empty it on a daily basis, the scent of that decomposing organic matter can get pretty rank. Another deterrent for others may be finding the right location for a pile. My site is about 20 steps out my back door, so I'll dump the rotting stuff in the plastic bucket in my kitchen more often which makes for a handy location in the corner of my yard. Of course there are others who just can't have an open bin or pile. For them, there are a plethora of composting set ups that can be commercially purchased ($$$) for apartment dwellers or those with small yards or shared common spaces. Search the internet for various other designs of composting bins that suit your needs and lifestyle.

Here are a few things to remember about composting.

1. No protein, meat or dairy products in your compost.

2. Keep the pile damp, not too wet, but like a wrung out sponge.

3. Turn it every time you add something to it.

4. Try to keep a 50/50 mix of “green” to “brown”.

5. Add manure to create a richer mixture.

6. Stop adding organic matter to the pile and let it rest for a few months before you spread it around your garden.

7. Pee on your pile. That's right, the nitrogen in urine helps decompose the pile faster. I have also read that pickle juice is good too.

Composting creates a circle of sustainability from growing plant matter, to human consumption, to decomposition and to growing plant matter again. You can start composting today.

Beginnings

I am a part time pioneer dreaming of a rural life. I have harbored a rural fantasy for as long as I can remember. My cousins all had horses and my grandfather promised to get me one if only we'd move back to Ohio. I begged my dad to move, but we didn't. We lived in a suburban tract home outside of Rochester, NY. It was the the Cape Cod style, not the Ranch style, white with black shutters. My mom had a green thumb and grew the tastiest tomatoes and biggest cucumbers during the summer. What we couldn't eat, we'd give away to the neighbors carrying bags across the street for delivery.

For all practical purposes I'm a city slicker with a hillbilly heritage. My dad and his two sisters were born in a log cabin in West Virginia at a time when home births were not the fashion, but the necessity. Their family moved to northern Ohio so Pap, my granddad, could get a job at Westinghouse working there for over 30 years before retiring. Granny never learned how to drive, but she could pluck a mean chicken and fry it up.

One winter in West Virginia, Pap worked as a lumberjack cutting down trees and made $75. When he told the story he added, “It didn't take much back then. No, it didn't take much.” Today it seems to take a whole lot more. With more stuff to buy and own and consume, it is hard to even imagine a time when we didn't need all of this stuff. I think about that a lot. I'd like to think that part time pioneering means that I am finding ways to be resourceful, conserving and creating energy in my own backyard.