STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

It's pretty easy really, especially if you're just trying to reduce your waste/garbage.  In general, you want about 50% brown material going in and 50% green material going in.  But the ratios are much more flexible than that in real life!  We have alot more green stuff (which actually composts faster, fwiw) and it works just fine .  We keep a stainless crock under the sink in the kitchen (lined with a compostable bag) to hold kitchen scraps waiting for the pile.  You can also keep a bag in the freezer for scraps if you wanted.

'Green' items:  Veggie/fruit scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, grass clippings

'Brown' items:  Dry potting mix, newspaper, dry leaves, twigs, dryer lint

No: meat, dairy, fats, bread

Throw it in there as you go along, layering brown and green things if they're both available.  Water the pile lightly when it's been dry out, so it's about as damp as a wrung out sponge.  Turn the pile occasionally to mix stuff up - weekly will make the process go faster, but you never have to turn it if you don't want to.  They make bins that can be rolled or cranked for turning, even.

Try to do it in an area that has decent drainage (otherwise the pile could get too wet and then it gets stinky).  You can make a pile with a few garden stakes and some wire mesh, but we like the enclosed bins (keeps critters away).  I'd call the company that does your trash removal and/or recycling and see if they offer the lidded bins at a discount - we got ours for $35 each there.  I've heard a big rubbermaid container with some holes drilled in the bottom for drainage and the sides for airflow works great too though!  One 3 ft by 3 ft bin would be more than enough to take care of the kitchen scraps for us (I cook alot), but we have 3 because we do alot of yard stuff and like using our own compost in the garden.

hotcocoa~
i get a green living ezine delivered to my inbox everyday and today they featured composting!  i thought i would post their suggestions at the bottom to help you get started.  i don't know if the links will work through here but you can visit their website to pull up the ezine if they don't.  the site is www.idealbite.com

good luck- let us know how it works- i want to try but feel as though in an apartment i could end up with a mess.  i am probably going to wait until we get into a house so i can use it in my garden.

Wanna Try?

• Just a few of the items you can compost: bread, cereals, and pastas, coffee grounds and filters, eggshells, fruits and veggies, grass clippings, and most teabags.
• Check with your garbage company, and see if it offers curbside bins for compost pickup.
• EnviroCycle Composter - 5-gal composter for your garage or yard; just give it a spin for easy mixing and aerating ($169).
• Worm Chalet - three-tiered worm-based composter; keep it in your kitchen if you collect the fresh compost from its spigot regularly. Also: worms ($159).
• Kitchen Compost Crock - nifty, stinkless ceramic pot you can put on your counter or under the sink for collecting compostables until you get around to carting them outdoors ($24).
• The Complete Compost Gardening Guide - new, easy-does-it guide, including DIY instructions for making your own compost bins ($14).
• Compost Guide - everything you ever wanted to know about composting, and then some.
• Compost This - UK site that lets you know what you can and can't compost (aubergine means eggplant, BTW).

bex wrote:

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hotcocoa~
i get a green living ezine delivered to my inbox everyday and today they featured composting!  i thought i would post their suggestions at the bottom to help you get started.  i don't know if the links will work through here but you can visit their website to pull up the ezine if they don't.  the site is www.idealbite.com

good luck- let us know how it works- i want to try but feel as though in an apartment i could end up with a mess.  i am probably going to wait until we get into a house so i can use it in my garden.

Wanna Try?

• Just a few of the items you can compost: bread, cereals, and pastas, coffee grounds and filters, eggshells, fruits and veggies, grass clippings, and most teabags.
• Check with your garbage company, and see if it offers curbside bins for compost pickup.
• EnviroCycle Composter - 5-gal composter for your garage or yard; just give it a spin for easy mixing and aerating ($169).
• Worm Chalet - three-tiered worm-based composter; keep it in your kitchen if you collect the fresh compost from its spigot regularly. Also: worms ($159).
• Kitchen Compost Crock - nifty, stinkless ceramic pot you can put on your counter or under the sink for collecting compostables until you get around to carting them outdoors ($24).
• The Complete Compost Gardening Guide - new, easy-does-it guide, including DIY instructions for making your own compost bins ($14).
• Compost Guide - everything you ever wanted to know about composting, and then some.
• Compost This - UK site that lets you know what you can and can't compost (aubergine means eggplant, BTW).

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I got this today too!  I love the ideal bite emails.