Composting!
Let's talk about it function-ability; it's one of those things that sounds easy, but isn't. I can't stand the idea of throwing food away. So, much to Husband's disgust (he hates the concept of rotting food on his counter, but he knows its for the right cause), I started collecting compost-able food scraps and storing them on the kitchen counter to throw into our yard somewhere. for a list of compost-able items click here.
To start, I piled a bunch of waste on the side of the house in the front yard, and waited. and waited... and am still waiting. The pile is still there and the main items have shrunk and decayed, while other pieces have not. They say an undisturbed compost pile can take over a year to mature. I didn't follow any the composting rules when I started, so we'll see how my first one turns out. It's been about 9 months so far, and about 4 months since I added anything. I think its going to be at least a year before anything is usable for my garden.
My second attempt was made after attending a class with the Phoenix Permaculture Guild, they're having another class on August 28th, click here for more info. I now have a proper pile. It's watered when I add new content and the proper ratio is attempted. You have to have a certain about of "browns" to "greens". Also, the area is surrounded properly to avoid rodent problems (and dog problems), plus by having it surrounded it doesn't dry up as fast- which can be huge composting nightmare in the desert.
If you're thinking about composting, do it! You save so much waste from land fills and we all know how bad those are. You are putting back something in to the earth that will help nourish you and your family later. Just do a little research before. Some areas will provide free composing bins (city of phoenix provides one for $5). Even if you live in a small apartment with a balcony you can compost, and put your matured compost into flowers and house plants.
Get into it!
Happy Composting!
Let's talk about it function-ability; it's one of those things that sounds easy, but isn't. I can't stand the idea of throwing food away. So, much to Husband's disgust (he hates the concept of rotting food on his counter, but he knows its for the right cause), I started collecting compost-able food scraps and storing them on the kitchen counter to throw into our yard somewhere. for a list of compost-able items click here.
To start, I piled a bunch of waste on the side of the house in the front yard, and waited. and waited... and am still waiting. The pile is still there and the main items have shrunk and decayed, while other pieces have not. They say an undisturbed compost pile can take over a year to mature. I didn't follow any the composting rules when I started, so we'll see how my first one turns out. It's been about 9 months so far, and about 4 months since I added anything. I think its going to be at least a year before anything is usable for my garden.
My second attempt was made after attending a class with the Phoenix Permaculture Guild, they're having another class on August 28th, click here for more info. I now have a proper pile. It's watered when I add new content and the proper ratio is attempted. You have to have a certain about of "browns" to "greens". Also, the area is surrounded properly to avoid rodent problems (and dog problems), plus by having it surrounded it doesn't dry up as fast- which can be huge composting nightmare in the desert.
If you're thinking about composting, do it! You save so much waste from land fills and we all know how bad those are. You are putting back something in to the earth that will help nourish you and your family later. Just do a little research before. Some areas will provide free composing bins (city of phoenix provides one for $5). Even if you live in a small apartment with a balcony you can compost, and put your matured compost into flowers and house plants.
Get into it!
Happy Composting!
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