Composting in Myrtle Glen

I grew up with a compost and rainwater barrels, there was a bin in the kitchen sink to collect the water from rinsing vegetables as well, and there was never a moment of hesitation to do garbage separation (plastic, metal, paper, glass) but that was in Europe. It seems the US is taking its good time to catch up on being green…

Composting, the benefits are obvious, reducing waste going to the landfills and creating wonderful organic soil for your garden.
It is so very simple, just mind a few rules and Nature does the rest. Basically, you collect organic garbage

By the way, a healthy compost pile does not stink!

Here are some points from my experience:

• You don't just want kitchen waste on it, but green stuff, like grass and hedge clippings, leaves (best when shredded), spent flowers, used potting soil, etc.
• Whenever you fertilize your garden, give some to the compost pile as well.
• When you water, water the compost pile as well. (We have a sprinkler head set up by it)
• Don’t just make a mound, this will let the water run-off, but build it like a volcano, with a 'dish' in the center.
• When you find earthworms in it, great!!
• When you find ants in it that is great as well.
   

You do not want to add:

• Anything cooked (pasta, potatoes, gravy), and nothing from an animal (meats, milk, yogurt)
• Weeds from your yard, since the average garden compost (3ft x 3 ft) will not generate enough heat to kill the weed seeds. spreading the compost later on will just have the weed seeds pop up everywhere
• Branches that are too thick to be cut with garden clippers
• Pesticides, or weed killers
• Animal feces

You do want to add:

• Crushed egg shells (they are great, adding calcium)
• Used coffee grounds, incl. filter paper, and tea bags
• Old  brewed coffee and tea
• Water from cooking vegetables
• Veggie peels
• Fruit peels, cores, etc.
• Small branches, cut in short sections, those help air circulation
• Newspaper and kitchen paper, torn up
• Hair, brushed out from dogs, or cut from humans
• Fertilizer
• Water

Hubby turns the compost 3 to 4 times (but should do it about twice as often, since it is rather hot in Central Florida) a year using a pitch fork.
You will need 2 compost bins, one to add to, and then when it is time for turning, all gets put into that second bin and it rests and stews. The empty bin number one is to be filled again. When it is time to turn, you will have nice rich compost in that second bin. Shovel out the compost and turn the content of bin one into bin two.
 

Our compost is made of  two bins, each 3 ft x 3ft and 3ft high, sitting next to each other at the side of the house in our 'utility area' . We used PVC picket fence pieces, attached to PVC fence posts with the front part removable for easy access when turning the compost.

Each time the compost gets turned we get two 28 gallon nursery pots filled with rich earth.

 

"Compostaphile and Compostaphobe - -  To rot or not to rot..."