Green Tips For You! » compost bin http://greentipsforyou.com Tips for being green and saving money at the same time! Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:16:05 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 How to Make Compost -Making a Difference in Your Own Backyard http://greentipsforyou.com/how-to-make-compost-making-a-difference-in-your-own-backyard/ http://greentipsforyou.com/how-to-make-compost-making-a-difference-in-your-own-backyard/#comments Sat, 23 Jan 2010 18:28:18 +0000 JoshuaV http://greentipsforyou.com/?p=248 Composting is one of the simplest things you can do around your house and it can be done in so many ways.  You can either use a purchased compost bin (www.giam.com is a great place to purchase a ready-made bin), a home made bin using materials you have around the house, or just have a pile in an out of the way spot in your yard.  Our compost bin was acquired by my wife.  She took a composting class on Earth Day 2006, and a bin was free to each class participant via a grant from Penn State.  Composting is so easy, it literally happens on it’s own.  All you need to do is add the right ingredients to create what a lot of gardeners call “Black Gold”.

So what do you add to your compost bin?  Well, it comes down to 2 colors (green and brown) and 2 places (your kitchen and your yard).

Kitchen and yard Greens include-houseplant cuttings, fruit & veggie scraps (chop small to induce quicker breakdown in the bin), coffee grounds (these are in abundance if you work in an office), tea bags, egg shells, rice & pasta (no sauce or butter), grass clippings (no weeds), garden waste (veggies and flowers)-no diseased plants.

Kitchen and yard Browns include- coffee filters, stale breads, paper products, straw, dried leaves, small twigs

DO NOT COMPOST- meat, dairy, fats, oils, pet waste or weeds.

Composting begins in the kitchen.  Find a bucket or jug with a wide lid for kitchen scraps.  We use a recycled 5 gallon ice cream bucket with a lid.  Leave your kitchen bucket in a convenient place, so you will remember to use it.  Add your house/kitchen wastes until the bucket is full.  Empty your bucket into the compost bin, adding some soil, shredded newspapers or dried leaves to the top (this prevents fruit flies and gnats).

You can expect to harvest your Black Gold in as little as 8 weeks, if you properly “cook” your compost, or as long as 6 months.  If you find that your bin isn’t breaking down fast enough, there are a few things you can do to kick start your compost.  My favorite remedy is to buy a dozen night crawlers from our local bait shop, and dump the worms AND their dirt into the bin.  Another quick remedy is to turn your bin contents completely.

To make composting as convenient as possible, keep your bin as close to your kitchen as possible.  This is especially important if you have harsh winters like we do.  Your compost will decompose slower in the winter months, but don’t stop.  Spring will come and kick start your winter efforts.

Quick facts about composting

  • Composting, combined with recycling eliminates up to 65% of your household waste
  • Healthy compost will make your garden bloom better, grow faster, and even taste better.
  • composting eliminates your need for chemical fertilizers, thus making your yard, garden, and water table less toxic.
  • IT’S FREE!!!!
  • Composting is the simplest cradle to cradle activity a family can do to help our environment.

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