Ok, ok... I'm not exactly making the dirt. I am, however, producing nutrient rich garden soil by using plants, dead materials, and, well, dirt... so in the end it produces one childishly happy woman.
I wanted to continue talking about composting, however, because soon after beginning my compost heap I found my old kitchen composting pail in one of the boxes I still hadn't unpacked since moving to this house.
I didn't use it much when I lived on the other side of the country, mainly because I use so many vegetables that it would fill up too quickly. I instead took to using a large yogurt container that I'd fill (which generally took about 2 days), and then I'd go out to my compost pail beside my back door outside and dump it in.
Now, however, I view the kitchen composter differently. I've discovered that I can start the composting process inside, adding veggies, dirt, and brown materials, then shaking in order to turn the soil. Then, when it fills (which takes me just a little under a week) I can go out to the compost heap and dump it in. The process has already been started within the pail, so things move a wee bit more quickly.
Of course, having a kitchen composter means that I need to check it frequently. If the mix of materials is wrong I can end up with rotting, fly-calling nastiness, and nobody wants that. Eew.
So I look inside once a day, to ensure no mold is growing. As a warning, though, I should point out that staring at composting plants doesn't conjure any dreams of beauty.
Yep. It's pretty darned ugly. But!
Soon it'll be gorgeous garden soil.
Another thing I tend to do is perform a "sniff test", as I call it. Basically, I smell the fruits and veggies that are breaking down. If the smell reminds me of garden soil, all is good. If, however, something smells 'off', I know that the material mix is off. Generally, this means there's too much water. This is easily fixed, though, because all I need to do is add some shredded leaves or newspaper. Problem solved!
Just remember, compost should never smell bad. Ever. Not during any part of the process. If the scent reminds you of your trash can, something needs to be tweaked.
Where is your outside compost pile located? We are super urban and I will have to put my compost pile on our roof ! Wondering what precautions I need to take
ReplyDeleteI'm rather lucky, because the house I'm renting has a yard, so I have two outside compost piles - one is a plastic wheelbarrow that already had holes in the bottom, so I placed it directly under the window on the porch (literally), and the other pile is at the back of the yard.
ReplyDeleteGiven your location (I totally peeked at your blogger profile so I could give you the best advice possible.), neither of those options would work well for you. The compost pail I mentioned here will last a few weeks (depending on how often you use it),so it's a good start. Mine sits right next to the refrigerator.
Do you have an area of your home that isn't used often? A standard 5 gallon pail with a lid would give you a lot of space to work with, and could be kept inside the house, or beside your front door. You'd need to drill holes into it in order to have proper air flow (all over the pail, including the lid), but in all honesty, you'd do better with a compost pail than a compost heap, because high temperatures have a tendency to dry out the compost at a fast rate if it's not covered.
Take a look at the post I linked to below this paragraph, and follow the link in its very last sentence for some great photos on a fellow blogger's post. She used a garbage can, but the hole drilling concept is the same, just on a smaller scale.
http://evengreenbootsleavetrails.blogspot.com/2012/10/liquid-fertilizer-from-compost-nice.html
I'll keep looking into this for you, and see what I can find. Perhaps you've given me a new subject to write about!
Wow! Thanks for the thought out reply :) So do you think a garbage type pail setup on the roof is a bad idea? I can make it in a shaded area of the roof so it doesnt get too hot (I know compost heats up as it breaks down, right? But I dont want it to rot in a bad way) ?
ReplyDeleteHere in Mexico City it doesnt get as it does in other areas of Mexico (or aouthern Texas!) but today it was still 75 degrees out.
Other info- our roof will be sealed (so no worry on mold/bacteria growing into the concrete roof to weaken it) . I will also have my garden up there and chickens... Also, maybe I can set the garage pail setup you mentioned on top of a pallet to let ari circulate under the bottom as well? So any leaking liquids wouldnt be sitting for a long time making the roof damp in one area for long? April-October here it rains daily, so thats another consideration for me to make- but it also means (perhaps?) any leaking liquids would be washed away in the warmer season daily?
Off to checkout the link youposted , thank you so much! Love your blog!
I totally forgot that your humidity is so high during the rainy season! It's somewhere around 70+ %, right? Forget what I told you about heat during those months. Your main concern will be keeping it from getting too moist. You're absolutely correct that the chemical reactions that occur heat it up at the center, but you won't need to be concerned about that. I was thinking in terms of it drying out, which won't be a problem, due to the daily rain and the humidity.
ReplyDeleteYour worry will be air flow. You'll need to help it dry out. *Lots* of holes will need to be drilled. What Amanda did (the link I posted) will be a perfect guide in that. Her bin has great air flow.
A pallet would be a great idea to raise the compost bin, but I worry about the effect the moisture would have on the overall integrity of the wood.
I'm thinking plastic milk crates would be ideal, instead. They won't break down, and there wouldn't be a lot of surface area of the roof covered. Setting them on their sides with the openings facing outward would even give you added room for additional items.
And as a dise thought... as long as you only feed your chickens using plant matter, you'll be able to throw their waste in the composter, as well! Yay!