Composting

People assume that because I'm an organic gardener I am some great guru on composting.

"Do you compost?" they ask me. "Yes" I say. Then they get all technical, and I'm lost.

When we moved here 15 years ago, we build a big composter from wood (3 feet across both ways, and 4 feet high). We had to stop adding to it last year as the wood has rotted. In other words, our composter is now composting. For many years however, it gave us good service. We'd put stuff in the top and take compost out of the bottom on a continuous basis.  We have built a new one, obviously.

So, if I am a successful composter, why can't I teach composting? Well, I don't really DO anything. I leave it to it. Nature invented composting after all (that's why we have soil) and is perfectly capable of doing it inside a wooden box, without any help from me.

But I think I know why some people have problems.

1. They buy a commercially-made composter. This may have 420 features, but most of them hinder rather than help.

2. It's not big enough. The thing is supposed to be warm. So a lot of compost works better than a little as the outside insulates the inside.

3. They don't add to it often enough, or add too much of the same thing, or it's not broken up enough. If you bury a head of lettuce, it takes over 20 years to decompose (they found one in a landfill). Egg shells need to be crushed, BTW or you'll be pulling them out whole.

The reason a big, wooden composter works, is that it allows Nature to do its thing. The rain can get in (and out) easily because the lid is slatted and not watertight.

When I was a child we had a compost PILE. This is obviously not pretty. Compost isn't pretty. Compost is not supposed to be pretty.

But maybe you have no space for a pile or a huge wooden box. Maybe the only composter you are permitted/can live with is small and commercially made. I know little about them. I do know they have to be "started".

Pee in it.

Yep.

OK then, get a child's potty and dump that in. OR.........most small boys will be happy to oblige. And some bigger ones too.

What can you put in a composter? Anything organic. If it can be eaten by any species it can go in. Just don't add too much paper or grass. You can put grass cuttings in, but don't overdo it.

There's a question of protein, from kitchen scraps. You'll hear people tell you not to add meat, cheese, and eggs. I compost these without any problem at all, actually, but it WILL attract critters, and that's the real reason for not adding it. If you have critters anyway, or don't care, then don't worry about it. My barn cats help themselves.

"Do you need worms?" Yes you do, and lots of other small helpers, but in a big wooden box they arrive of their own accord. If you are using a commercial composter, you will need to add some of them, consult the instructions, it's not my area.

Now talk among yourselves.