“Composting is like cooking…”

So goes the quote from my composting bible, “Backyard Composting” .  Ahh, patience grasshopper!  Since I can cook… I can therefore compost.

Ahh, grasshopper. David Carradine in the 70's hit, Kung Fu

I kept reading.  Recipes, mmnnmm.  I like recipes. (follow the link to find other compost recipes)

Then I learned the main ingredients of compost:

1. browns – dry materials like dry leaves, wood chips, grass and garden waste

2. greens – fresh, moist materials, grass cuttings, food scraps

3. “no-no’s” – meat, dairy, fats, grease

Uh, that’s a buzz kill.  I have lots of #2, even more of #3, hardly any of #1. 

So, I realize quickly that the old fashioned compost piles I saw as a kid were out of the question.  I grew up in North Carolina where everyone has a big lot, mows grass and has leaves to rake.  That’s the perfect stuff for an open compost pile.  In SF, I have 2 tiny trees (one of which is going to be removed soon), and we stopped watering the grass to conserve water.  Now what?

Phew!  Chapter one is entitled “Compost Happens”.  That’s encouraging  – that must mean that no matter what, I should be able to compost…right?  Good, it just takes more time, that’s all.

I also learned that the kind of waste you have determines what kind of bin will work for you.  Types of composting containers include:

1. a hole in the ground.  now, this is the cheapest option, and if you don’t mind digging holes, go for it.  make sure you have at least 8″ of soil covering the stuff.  We have rocky ground, so no, I’m not going to do this.

2. a heap.  so cheap, it’s free.  it should be at least 2’x2′.  to make it go faster, it should be 5′-6′ high.  Not such a good option if you have a small yard, or if you have small kids about.  Can you imagine a 2 year old with a giant heap?

3. a trash can with a lid. 32 gallon is a good size.  drill holes (24-48) all around it and cut off the bottom.  bury the bottom a couple of inches below the surface.  I did a modified version of this with a storage bin.  I got black, and I think this works well.  I highly recommend this if you don’t intend to compost “no-no’s”.  Also, it offers some kid-proofing.  I did this, but still had nowhere for my “no-no’s”.  The city got all that until I got the Johanna.

4. a bin. this can be made from old shipping pallets, rabbit wire fencing, or you can get fancy and build a 3 bin system.  you can do a google search and find all kinds of help building something like this.  also, you can buy any number of open air composters from good garden stores, even Target!  Also good if there are no items that will attract vermin.

5. anaerobic bins. the Bokashi, the Green Johanna and the Green cone fall into this category.  They contain their heat and some can take all the “no-no” scraps.   You can see where this is going, right?

6. tumblers.  these are fancy and expensive.  you can build your own.  they make compost pretty quickly.  I was torn about whether or not to get one of these.  but they don’t take no-nos.  I wanted to try a tumbler, but could not find one that was in the right price range.

7.  electric.  Good heavens!  these are small, and very expensive.  but, they are simple and take everything.  the buzz on these is thin, and not consistent.

8.  How could I forget!  My favorite – worms.  red wigglers are popular.  the appeal of worm composting is the superior compost they produce.  but seriously, it’s revolting to me.

red wigglers, yummy!

 

 

So, if composting is like cooking, then your composter is the difference between a 48″ thermador and a hot plate.  They all do the job, the question becomes what do you feed your composter, what are your goals, and how much do you want to spend?