Compost
Composting is one of the easiest, most sustainable activities going. Leftovers from everything you chop like salad, fruit and vegetables, or the non-meat, non-grain discards from the dinner plates go into the bin I keep under the sink and, when it’s full, I dump them in the big bin out back. I started small, but results were lackluster so I amped it up with a fancy pants model, a six-tiered design that allowed me to disassemble it, turn the soil, and put it back together with ease except — despite hundreds of trips to the compost bin — I’d never turned a clump. I’ve been composting with fervor for years, but the truth is, I’m not terribly good at it.
Embarrassed by my incompetence, I decided, just for kicks, to get out there with a shovel since none of the kids could be bribed. To combat the creepy flying things — winged demons that rise up every time I opened the lid to deposit my treasures — I donned my husband’s beekeeper hood. After the first turn of the soil, I was amazed. Beneath the still recognizable orange peels and pineapple rinds, the discarded zucchini ends and apple cores, was none other than black gold. Beautiful, black, rich and fertile soil that one day I might spread on my flower garden.
That was about five years ago. I still haven’t used the soil even though I compost every day. It’s strange, but the pile in the bin always stays about the same height. Maybe there’s a sinkhole underneath and our table scraps are going to feed Middle-Earth dwellers, or maybe Mama Nature is just messing with me, I don’t know. But I do know this. I’ve kept hundreds of pounds of food waste out of the landfill so even if I never put a thimble full of that gorgeous soil in my garden, I’ve still done something fabulous for the planet.
Today is Day 3 of the A to Z blogapalooza. Are we having fun yet?
pamlazos 4.3.19
Green Life Blue Water 
Oh hooray for your compost! Hope you can use it sometime. I saw some sort of electro-gizmo that speeds up the composting process…can’t remember where I saw it, but it looked really handy for putting one’s extras to use. Great post!
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Ooooo, a composting accelerated. That is so 21st century! We can’t even wait for our compost to do it’s thing, but it does sound like it has great implications for large scale operations like landfills as a way to manage the waste. :0)
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It really does! I found a smaller version of what I saw a while back–not exactly a tiny price tag, of course…
https://www.nofoodwaste.com/products/foodcycler-fc-30-sp?gclid=Cj0KCQjwhuvlBRCeARIsAM720HrtjiEMT5JfjmmAw2CrA39Ds2V6frn58R21GDfWnaLldD8jOG8HUZkaAtD1EALw_wcB
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Wow, this is soooo cool! What if it were in every kitchen in the world?! Happy Saturday and have a nice Easter, Jean. xo
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Reducing what goes into the landfill or the incinerators is definitely a step! I compost for two households now am am glad that what is “thrown away” is much less. Keep up the composting 🙂
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Thanks, I will!🙏
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Pingback: I Have Worms! | TanGental
Thanks, Geoff!😘
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I’m lovin’ your posts ❤ The lane we live in is known as zero-garbage lane as we are segregating the garbage and composting most of the wet. But totally cracked up at your take on composting: "Maybe there’s a sinkhole underneath and our table scraps are going to feed Middle-Earth dwellers." Keep up the good words and works.
Cheers.
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Thank you, Sonia! And you keep up the awesome work on zero-garbage lane! If you ever want to write a guest post about your experiences, let me know. :0)
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I love composting! I have a huge heap (okay, four separate ones in different stages) that I add to. I’m not great at growing things, but composting… It’s magic. I have horses, chickens, budgies, dogs, vegetable gardens, orchard, and the usual garden going around the house, so there’s plenty to go into the heap — and plenty of places for it to go 🙂 I’m Vegetarian, so it also helps to keep my Carbon Footprint low by having the carrot tops, etc. go to the heap.
Ronel visiting from the A-Z Challenge with Music and Writing There’s Only One C…
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Wow, that sounds like an awesome place to live and good for you being a vegetarian. I’ve tried it off and on, but don’t think it’s exactly right for me, although the amount of water you save by not eating meat is tremendous. Have a great day! :0)
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I’m impressed.
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Well, I didn’t really follow through but my heart is in the right place.❤️
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Good for you Pam! I have never had a compost bin. Our City will start recycling later this Spring. We got the plastic totes years ago and no one did it, so they discontinued the service, so maybe there is hope for this town yet.
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Hope springs eternal, Linda!
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I am so fascinated by composting. I was in Vancouver and the hotel had a little compost bin, which I found remarkable but I am a city dweller with no patch of ground to make into better ground.
Keep up the good fight, flying demons and all! If for nothing more than moral fortitude.
Isa-Lee Wolf
A Bit 2 Read
@IsaLeeWolf
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Maybe you could use the soil from compost for your house plants!
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That’s a great idea! Although I’m an accomplished herbicidist. I’ve met only one plant I couldn’t kill! (It’s one of those aptly-named eternity plants.)
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😂😂😂!!!
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I’m enjoying your posts Pam ❤ I don't compost any more (just me, my tiny, tiny, tiny courtyard garden etc etc) but I used to – with fervour 😀 I threw everything into my heap, beginning back in the 70's and gradually learned how to make it really work. Foodstuffs, paper, cardboard, garden prunings – grass clippings are good they raise the heat and break down the raw stuff quicker….. I still love the smell of freshly composted soil, it has a richness and depth, 'fecundity' is probably the right word, to it and all the little critters are in there beavering away on our behalf to make good soil for us to grow our food in and be healthy. Get that black stuff out of your bin and into your garden and watch the miracle happen.
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Okay, I’ve been shamed 🤦♀️into it, Pauline, and I will!😍
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And here I was thinking I should be composting, not just living on memories 😀
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😂😂😂
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I’m a long time composter myself. All those bugs and yucky critters in the heap do different jobs to break things down, so consider them your friends. Since I live in the country where I can get away with it, I put everything (almost) in my compost pile, including stale bread, sour milk, and other things they generally advise you not to use, especially if you have close neighbors. It’s good to add leaves and yard litter, unless it’s been sprayed with chemicals, also shredded paper and cardboard. If you have houseplants, finished compost makes a good top dressing, and of course it’s great fertilizer for vegetables.
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Great tips, Marie. And my friend just told me about compost water – using some of the compost soil in the bottom of the watering can and then watering your plants 🌱 with it!
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I know that my daughter-in-law, training to be a chef, never throws anything away. She USES it. I’m not in training and it’s a constant bother to me how to compost properly. I recycle everything but not food and scraps. I’ve often thought of using them fruitfully and you’ve given me a brilliant idea thank you Pam. Dig a hole and throw them in! (Keep a bag under the sink to make life easier and when this is full to tip them into a larger lined container and tip those into the hole). Do it for the planet –
Are we having fun on the blogapalooza? Yes, when I come across a post such as yours, I would call that fun! Thank you for the smile 🙂
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😂😂😂 Thank you, friend. 🙏 And can I say that you are the queen 👑 of reinventing yourself!!😘
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My parents were the composting kings and queens and I’ve composted since my first garden in 1985. I’ll do a post soon and, if you pop by, I think you’ll be dead impressed… not that I’m showing off…!
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I’m remember reading that in your book, Geoff. And yes, I could use a few tips so post away!😂
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coming along in a couple of days, Pam
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👍👏
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You are a composting inspiration. We recently started compost and, and, like you were, I am concerned about where it’ll all go. I’m glad to hear about the magic.
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It’s such wonderful soil, you could even give it away if you have no place for it. 😍
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I’m glad to hear about your misadventure with compost. I compost too and wonder why it takes much longer than it should. I’m scared of the worms as well. Hope you start using your compost.
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Don’t be afraid of the worms. They are actually doing the heavy lifting with the soil, aerating it and making it more usable. Worms 🐛 are great! 😂😂😂
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