Ready, Set, Compost!

I posted a few months back that I am interested in composting.  I'm proud to say that I've finally done my homework, and I'm ready to try my hand.

It all began about a month ago when I purchased the book Easy Composting.  I didn't know what to expect, but it is a very well- written and easy to understand book.  I like the fact this book offers not only many different ways to compost, but it also explains the benefits for a family who chooses to compost.

I decided for the time being to begin with an extremely simple method- a chicken wire container.  

I have lots of fallen leaves to get me started, and Scott graciously agreed to chop some of them with the lawn mower.  It works out perfectly because we were planning on getting at least one new garbage can since the bottom of our outdoor one is cracking, and I will use the cracked one to store my chopped leaves.  This will give me carbon rich material to mix with my food (no meat or dairy!)  scraps.  This should help the decomposition process go faster.  By using a simple chicken wire net, I can easily turn my pile my moving the chicken wire and then re-loading all of the material in. 

Although I have not planted a vegetable garden as of yet, I plan on putting one in this spring, and I have many perennials and trees that would benefit from any finished compost that I do produce.  Plus, I will have the peace of mind knowing that my organic yard and food waste is not sitting in a landfill inside of a plastic bag instead of biodegrading like it was meant to do...

Tags: compost, composting, beginning composting