I know this isn’t my usual type of task, but I’ve decided to start composting! I want to start a garden, and compost is really great for a healthy garden.
When I first started looking into composting, it seemed really overwhelming, but I think that’s just a misconception! Nonetheless, every single guide that I found was from an experienced composter, and there were no follow-along-while-I-try-compsting type blog posts. That’s where I come in.
We are going to learn how to compost TOGETHER. I spent 5 minutes today setting up composting and I think this is a great step 1 to this composting journey.
5 Minutes to Composting
The first thing I did was look into what kinds of composting bins there are. To save you time, I’m only going to be talking about hot composting (composting in a closed container to speed up decomposition).
I have a trashcan that I’m not using because our trash pick up company supplies trash bins. I decided to drill holes into the bottom of the trash can to allow worms/bugs into the contents of my composting bin to help compost. I grabbed a (relatively) worm sized drill bit and made holes on the bottom of my trash can, which took about 45 seconds.
Next, I carried my trashcan to the backyard next to my back door so I can easily take my kitchen scraps to the composting bin. Now, I’m not sure if this is a good idea, because it may start stinking, but this is what I’m doing until I notice a problem.
Lastly, I put my kitchen scraps into the compost bin and added the lid. There are two things I still need to do, but I’ll do them later today. I need to:
- Add brown materials to my compost bin
- Bungee cord the lid shut to keep animals out
Browns vs Greens
One thing that you really DO need to keep in mind is adding in browns to your greens. Browns are materials like dead leaves, sticks, etc. Greens are fruit/veggies, kitchen scraps, eggshells, etc.
When it comes to browns and greens, keep a 3:1 brown to green ratio of materials for good compost and to keep the compost bin from stinking so badly!
What Not to Compost
There are certain things you want to be sure NOT to compost. Here is a helpful graphic to understand what you should not put into your composting bin.
Since we are starting this journey together, I’m sure that there are things that we will learn along the way. I’ll be sure to add a new blog post if anything about my composting process changes! If I make any new composting blogs, I’ll add them below, so they’re easy to find!
