If you have ever asked yourself What is Home Composting, then here’s an answer you will truly love! You see, home composting is a wonderful way to do your part, to help save the environment.
We all have plant based waste materials, rather it’s leaves in our yards or cut end pieces from fruits and vegetables. Things like banana peels, apple cores, pepper stems and the outer layers of opinions are all considered plant based waste.
Composting this waste, is not only great for the environment, but home compost provides many fabulous benefits as well!
What Is Home Composting & How Do I Begin?
Home composting is a method used to convert organic plant waste, into a productive medium that is not only great for the environment, but that can also be healthier for you to. Especially if you use rich, organic composted soil to grow your own herbs, vegetables or other plants of various types.
Various Types of Home Composting
There are various types of home composting methods you can utilize. You can have an indoor bin in your kitchen or garage, or an outdoor bin or pile in your back yard.
If you have a rather large yard, then you could of course go to the extreme by building a fabulous outdoor composting pit. This is very easy to do, simply dig a hole that is 1 foot deep with a width of your choice.
If you have a lot of leaves in the fall, simply rake them and any grass clippings into your pit, and VIOLA, your compost pile begins!
Composting Yard Waste Outdoors
Composting yard waste is not that difficult to do. It’s as simple as raking up your leaves, grass clippings or other plant matter, and tossing the waste into your compost bin or pile.
If you have limbs or branches, then you will want to break these down a bit before adding them to your pile.
Some people will rent a wood chipper to break larger pieces of wood down. Personally, I deem this a waste of money.
Simply purchase a burn barrel, and burn your wood waste. Add the ashes to your compost pile, and you’ll find that your organic matter will break down much faster! Wood ash helps a compost heap heat up faster and provides many other extra benefits, resulting in a more superior soil!
If you live in an area where a burn barrel is not permitted, do not worry! Simply use a cheap grill and burn your wood, a small bit at a time! Make it a festive event by having a small fire to sit by at night as you enjoy snacks and beverages under the stars!
Now down here in the south, we dig a hole in the ground to use as a “burn pit”. When it comes to branches, we sure do love burning them under the stars! Heck, sometimes we even have these great big bon-fires! At least until the fire department shows up and tells us our burn is too big! Then we simply put water on the fire, and let it burn at a much slower pace.
Composting outdoors can be a ton of fun, especially if you get creative with how you do it! Raking leaves can be so much fun if you have little ones running around. They do love playing in a great big pile of leaves! Rake a large pile for the children to play in. Then when they are done with their play, add it to your compost pile!
Kitchen Waste & Composting Indoors
Composting indoors can be a bit more difficult, due to limited space. You will also need to keep your compost a certain way, to prevent pests and stinky smells.
The best way to prevent pests, is to keep a lid on it. If using a trash can, be sure to get one with a lid that seals very well. This will help keep ants and other bugs our of your bin.
Since you are recycling food waste, you will need to be sure to bury your food waste. When food is rotting (breaking down) it will produce stink.
The best way to prevent this, is to bury the waste under leaves or grass clippings. Once you have enough soil composted, then simply bury your waste under the soil.
You may not get much organic waste when composting on such a small scale, but you can still get enough rich soil to start your own mini indoor herb garden!
What Is Home Composting Going To Require?
Home composting does not require much at all to get started. There’s no reason why you should invest in a composting tumbler, fancy bin or super sonic solar heating pad!
Back before we had electricity, Grandmaws everywhere were the master gurus at recycling! They never had any of those “Fancy Frills & Useless Gadgets” as many ol’-timers love to say.
The men folk would use scrap lumber to make a compost bin for their ladies, or they would dig a great big compost pit right by the pig pen. They guaranteed the missus that she you would never have a stinking compost pile when it was strategically located there!
And since the children had chores, then you can see how the missus never had to worry about a smelly compost pit (and some say southerners aint smart)!
Basically, it does not matter if you live on a farm with lots of pigs, or in a dorm room at college! Even if you have very limited space, you can still compost your food waste! See the DIY kitchen compost bin instructions below for instructions on how to start a small compost bin today!
DIY Kitchen Compost Bin
If you wish to get started today, then I would love to share with you a GREAT project I found online. You can make a tiny compost bin, sized to fit on your kitchen counter, quickly and easily following the instructions provided at Home Made Simple.
This bin is not only easy to make, but it’s also a great way to recycle empty plastic containers!
A small bin like this will help you learn how to start composting, and once you get great at it, you can then easily increase your bin to a larger size. Indoor trash cans work great!
Why Should I Care About Composting?
Well, technically you do not HAVE to care, but it is a great thing to do! There are many benefits of composting your food and yard waste. Not only are you doing a small bit to help save the environment, but you also get a very valuable by-product that you can use for your own benefit!
The resulting compost soil, is so rich in nutrients that it makes one of the best organic fertilizers. So you say you live in an apartment? No place to use this fertilizer?
Well, think outside of the box a bit! You can start your own indoor herb garden. You can dry out the compost soil, shake it through a strainer to get large chunks out of it, and have a fine dust that is great to use as a seed starter medium. Sell this seed starter on eBay or Etsy for extra money!
Or, you can simply donate your soil to a local nursing home, where the residents can use it in their flower beds.
Do you enjoy and love nature? Then feed the baby birds! You can take your composted soil to a local river or pond that is open to the public, and scatter it along the edges of the water. The worms in the area will flock to the soil, for the rich nutrition it offers.
This will bring worms to the surface, making it easier for birds to to feed their young!
There are literally millions of fabulous things you can do with your rich soil, just try to think of something that you will consider to be great!
Let me know what you come up with, and if you need help trying to brain-storm something creative, leave a comment below! I am certain that together, we can think of something you will truly enjoy! I look forward to chatting with you!
And don’t forget to check out the rest of the site, there’s articles about raising worms in your backyard as well!
