Food waste is a real problem. It uses valuable landfill space and generates greenhouse gases which contribute to global warming. One solution frequently suggested to address this issue is to compost food scraps. The problem? If you are not familiar with composting, it can seem too involved or intimidating. In fact, home composting is very easy to do and offers many benefits for you and the environment.
WHY COMPOST?
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| Fresh Air Odor Free Kitchen Compost Collector from Full Circle Home |
- Home composting really does take minimal effort, like only a few minutes a week. What is not often understood is that to obtain beneficial compost it may take months, depending upon the method and materials used.
- Home composting saves you time and money by minimizing the need to purchase compost and fertilizers. If water is at a premium in your area, compost will aid the soil with water retention minimizing that expense as well.
- Not only does composting food and other waste reduce greenhouse gases, it helps to conserve our top soil, another valuable natural resource.
- Want a 'green thumb' and grow gorgeous plants with less effort? The best place to start is with great soil, and compost is a key component of building healthy soil. What do we mean by healthy? Rich in nutrients and loaded with beneficial organisms that promote robust plant growth.
- TOOLS - collect the tools you will need, which will include a good kitchen compost collector. We are always pressed for time, and Ohio weather can be fickle, so we prefer a kitchen compost collector that looks great and holds several days worth of food scraps. You will also need an outdoor compost bin, which is larger than the kitchen compost collector and is designed for outdoor use. In addition to keeping the compost area neat, we recommend an enclosed bin for several reasons - it speeds the compost process and keeps pests out.
- WHAT TO COMPOST - you will need two types of materials for your compost bin. The first are 'greens' for nitrogen, which includes fruit and vegetable food waste, coffee grounds, egg shells, grass clippings, garden trimmings and weeds. To make compost, you will also need 'browns' or carbon, which include dried leaves and grass, straw, newspaper, bread, pasta, rice and even cereal boxes and toilet paper rolls.
- HOW TO START - secure the bin in a convenient, partially shaded area. Layer your 'greens' and 'browns' in equal amounts in the bin. Periodically mix the bin contents to add oxygen and add water to keep the compost moist. Bin contents should smell earthy and have the moistness of a damp sponge.
- HARVEST YOUR COMPOST - getting usable compost from your bin can take several months and it will look like dark soil. When you are ready to use the compost, we recommend using a large gauge mesh to filter out bin contents not yet composted. Matter not fully composted should be placed back in the compost bin. Filtered compost should be worked into your garden soil. We use a ratio of about two large handfuls for every square foot of garden.
Meanwhile, what keeps you from composting?
