Compost...

I don't know if they are still the big rage now or not but a few years back it was all the rage to make things with wooden pallets. Check out Pinterest and all of my suggestions came up as re-using pallets...perhaps it was because I was searching for ideas. I saw a compost bin that someone had made with 3 compartments and wanted to have one here on the homestead. To me, it seems to be a good design. We have been composting with our two Earth Machines (they look like this one) for many years but they are small for the property and yard waste that we now have.

So we went to the local feed store and purchased some additional pallets since we had some already but not enough. They sell them for $2 each, cheap! The project needed 5 pallets and we had 3. We (or I should say my husband) re-designed the bins that I saw to open from the front and on top. We did need some 2 x 4's to construct doors and lids. The bins are lined with chicken wire to keep most of the critters out but I do open the doors up while I am working out there to let the chickens in and let them eat bugs and drop some chicken poop in there. It's good stuff.

So... many of you might be wondering how to compost. It's really easy actually. We put all our garden waste in, the stuff we pull out of the garden and we just make sure to cut the pieces into smaller ones so that we can turn the pile easily. Garden waste consists of tree or bush trimmings from pruning, fallen leaves (brown), all of our kitchen scraps (veggie peels, apple cores, egg shells...) and every once in a while I will add some shredded newspaper but it isn't very often that we need it. Then once a week I get a pitchfork and turn the pile and add water. This part can be difficult if you have a huge pile but it is definitely something you need to do! Just get in there and muscle through it. They do sell some augers and turners to help with this and someday I will have one of these pitchforks but for now I have a shovel (like in the picture) and a tiny pitchfork that gives me muscles when I use it. Watering the pile is important, you want to keep the pile moist not drenched. You should never put fish, meats or dairy into the compost bin.

So add greens, browns and water, turn, turn, turn! In a few months you should have beautiful compost!

We keep our kitchen scraps in a compost pail like this one but there are lots of different types out there. Ceramic or stainless steel (like ours) seem to be the best kind, they don't rust. Here's another ceramic one...a handle is a must for ease of carrying to the bin outside. There are aluminum ones and wooden ones too. Just look around for one you love to keep on the kitchen counter. There are plastic ones too that you can store under the sink but I would forget about it under there. Other kitchens are compost ready with a bin built-in to the counter. Tons of choices! Happy shopping!

Thanks for stopping in!