The weather on the east coast has gone from dismal to BEAUTIFUL in a matter of twenty four hours so the kids and I are off to our next outdoor, going green project...a COMPOST PILE!!!
Now although you are thinking, "Wow, what a GLAMOROUS task!" it really is a dirty job...HA!
When I was growing up we always had a compost pile in our yard and thought it quite strange when friends threw things into their regular trash like coffee grounds and banana peels. What were they thinking? Now that we have our own yard and some time to do things that involve our own kids I thought this would be a perfect way to teach them about recycling some of our own kitchen waste, being kind to our planet by re-using the materials we have put into the pile to feed our newly planted fruits, veggies, herbs (thank for the tips Suzi!) and flowers instead of processed poisons and maybe even throw in a little lesson to teach them (and my darling husband) about reducing waste.
My father still tends to his pile and I must say, his flowers are beautiful and they NEVER use chemicals in their beds, or yard for that matter. So i am taking some of the recipe from his wise ways as well as some research I have done online...the miracle that is the internet!!!
Take note mamas, I DO NOT have all the time in the world to work on this so I am paring it down to fit into our everyday lifestyle, as to not have it become a chore that gets forgotten because of the hassel.
The first step is to talk location: The best is a level, well-drained, area, if you a re in a warm area you will want to put it in a shady spot so the pile will not dry out too quickly. You will also want to keep it on dirt, not a patio or asphalt as to promote natural help from earthworms...they LOVE this stuff! Unless you are using a premade composter, a great option but I cannot see spending money on something I can do for free. Most important is to make the location accessible, will you really use it if you have to trek across the town to get to it?
After you have the perfect place picked, next you have to build a little "shelter" for it. From what I have read and what dear old dad tells me the ideal is a 3 sided box of sorts to make it easy to turn if you wish but also to take out the material when you want to use it. We are going with wood, we have a fireplace so we have tons of logs crying out for a home, and a bonus is that the logs will eventually become compost themselves...always thinking!
Time to start our pile!!! The two basic ingredients that make up compost are green garden debris (grass clippings or old plants and kitchen waste) and brown garden debris (dry leaves). Green ingredients are high in nitrogen, adding too many greens can make the pile smell bad and brown materials are high in carbon. Compost piles with a balance of one part green to two part brown materials break down fastest. The easiest way to create this balance is to add one layer of green material to the pile then top it with two layers of brown material, then mix them together. (I learned to add some finished compost or garden soil to help jump start the microbial activity in the pile.)
Now that we have the "mix" it is important to check the moisture level, with the right moisture level should feel like a damp, wrung-out sponge. Too much moisture can cause temperatures to fall within the pile (and make it smell). Too little moisture slows down the decomposition rate and keeps the pile from heating up. Check the moisture level once a week and adjust it if necessary by adding water to increase moisture or more browns to help dry the pile out.
The last step is to turn the pile once a week to move new additions from the outside of the pile in, this also keeps the pile from compacting, reducing airflow and slowing down decomposition.
Thats' it girls!!! You should have ready to use compost in about two months.
Remember though, NEVER add animal waste, meats, oils, dairy, diseased plants, weeds that have gone to seed, or plants treated with pesticides or herbicides to your compost.
