Garden Fresh: Composting 101

This is exciting. Trust me. Let me introduce to you another esteemed guest blogger: Jed “Ray” of Ray’s Garden. From time-to-time I hope to check in with Jed to see how his world of green-living and garden-growing is going. In his first guest-post on Westervin, he’ll be taking us through some composting basics:

When we first moved into my most recent house I decided to start composting. Composting is just a win-win-win situation. Not only is it a great way to give back to the environment, but it reduces your waste, and it’s a great way to add organic matter to gardens.

I approached the idea of composting timidly at first. Never having composted before, I felt a little research was in order. At first, that just seemed to overwhelm me even more. In the end, I looked at my situation and came up with a plan, double checking it with research along the way.

For our composting needs we have a 5-gallon bucket with an airtight lid under our sink. All of our compostable items go in here first. Using this “staging area” prevents us from running outside every time we have something to compost. I make a point of emptying this bucket every Monday (at the same time I take the trash to the curb). It being just me and my wife, this works out very nicely.

Because I live in a rented house and don’t want to make a permanent “improvement”, I chose to use a holding unit method of composting. This particular method utilizes a bin to hold the materials while they compost. This method is great for apartment dwellers with a balcony.

Our bin is made from an old plastic trash can which I converted by drilling 1/8 inch holes into the sides and bottom. These holes allow for air movement and drainage. I’ve also made a point to set the bin on top of two cinder blocks to allow for additional drainage and ventilation.

When researching composting I came across a few really good lists of what to compost and what not to compost. I took those lists and compiled one of my own*. To make it easy I attached that list next too my indoor bucket.

I’ve been composting for a couple months now, and so far I’ve had great success with it. The process is slow and I suspect I won’t be able to use the compost in my garden till next season, but I can see the progress. I can’t even recognize most of the things I threw in there a month ago. It’s all started to look like a dark earthy material. If I were a great existential philosopher I’m sure I’d have something to say about how all things eventually return to their natural state. But personally, I’m just excited to see how it progresses over the next couple months and throughout the year.

*Jed’s List of Do’s and Dont’s
DO compost: coffee bags (with tie removed), cardboard rolls, cereal boxes, citrus, clean paper, coffee grounds and filters, cotton rags, dryer and vacuum cleaner lint, eggshells, fireplace ashes, fruits and vegetables, grass clippings, hair and fur, hay and straw, houseplants, leaves, nut shells, sawdust, shredded newspapers, tea bags, wood chips ,wool rags, yard trimmings.
DON’T compost: Bones, coal or charcoal ash, dairy products and eggs, diseased or insect ridden plants, fats, grease, lard, or oil, foil, glossy paper, mayo, meat, metal, peanut butter, plastic, salad dressing, yard trimming treated with chemical pesticides.