Would anyone come after me for trademark infringement if I had titled it “Composting for Dummies?” I’ll never know!

In September I’ll be starting my 3rd non-consecutive year home with the kids. Since being home I’ve tried to pursue some NEW THINGS. Are they hobbies? Interests? Past times? Who knows. One of them is composting. A friend of mine who lives a couple of blocks from me does it so I thought I’d try. The most attractive aspect about her method is the lack of worms. The thought of a large bin full of worms that you have to turn every day grossed me out. (Though lately I am considering it…)

Why compost? In a nutshell:
1. Our landfills are bursting at the seams. Composting greatly cuts down the amount of garbage you leave at the curb.
2. Your soil will be richer/more fertile so you can use it for your gardening instead of buying soil.
3. You start seeing rotten food as useful which is a less wasteful way to live.
4. Shovels are fun!

I’m going to show you how to compost if you have a yard (no matter the size) or raised flower bed.

First:
Get yourself a composting container. I used to use a ceramic bowl with a plastic plate as its lid until Rebecca gave me her stainless steel compost bin. They also have some adorable ceramic ones etc. You can get them on Amazon or from most gardening centers.

I have no idea why I framed that bottle of dish soap with it – I thought it looked nice at the time. Ignore it. So I just keep this next to the sink with a little note above reminding anyone who’s in my kitchen (George) and me what goes in the composting bin.

Hopefully you could read that!

When it gets full – every day or two – I carry it out to the backyard with a shovel and a little bit of organic flower fertilizer.

Then I dig a hole. All summer I was using the same spot again & again because I couldn’t seem to dig through the rocks but since we’ve had all the trees shorn, I found a new spot. Dig a hole. Dump bin into hole.

Maize. What you call corn.

Sprinkle a little fertilizer on it.

This helps it break down. The climate is so dry here it can take forever to break it down.

Then cover your hole! (That’s what he s-, oh forget it!)

I also spray water on mine to keep it moist but I have no idea if that’s a good or bad idea.

I’d love to get comments on this from anyone in the know! Not really knowing what I’m doing it would be great to get more ideas. Also, does anyone who uses the worms want to share? Thanks and keep the comments on the blog instead of Facebook as I hear Zuckerberg is a moody fella!