I am participating in the Change The World Wednesday Challenge with Reduced Footprints. This week is all about being more mindful of our kitchen scraps we are throwing out.
Well, I will be the first to admit that I have been bad with this. I have always known I needed to start a compost bin. It is a great necessity, actually but I just have not gotten around to doing it. Actually, I have been researching this for a while, and the best way to go is the easiest way to go.
When you google Plastic Trash bin – composting – the prices go up 100%. It’s crazy.
This easy tutorial came from The Happy Housewife. I made my own modifications to the tutorial, because I want to convert it to a worm farm in the spring.
Items Needed
Dark 18 gallon rectangular bin – $20 from Container Store
Yard clippings – We have a lot of those
Small bucket for kitchen compost materials.
1 Bungee cord to keep the top on – have that.
Directions
- My husband will drill 20 holes along both sides of the bin, 15-20 holes in the lid as well as a few holes on the bottom for drainage. The more air and light, the better.
- I put in my yard clippings (which we have a lot thanks to my son). Fill about 1/3 the way full. Wet with water.
- I will fill my compost bin with only non-fatty organic materials. In her post, here is the list she used – which included almost everything. But I’m not going to do that. I would eventually want to turn this into a vermicomposting bin next spring, so I’m going to use….
- egg shells
- Fruits and vegetables
- Tie on the lid with bungee cord
- The kids will mix every few days
- I will use the small pail to collect all the non-fatty organic materials in the kitchen, and add to the composting bin every few days.
For vemicomposting, they recommend using shredded paper as a bedding. Do you suspect that it will work just adding worms to this in the spring? Help! Want to make it easy.
About Lisa
Twitter: Mayendesigns
says:
I need to compost so bad…let us know how it goes!
Thanks! Thinking about drilling the holes myself today – if I knew how to use the drill.
HUM?
Lisa recently posted…5 Among Friends – Week 11 and 12
From what I’ve read (and from my own experience) worms don’t actually eat the organic material you toss into the bin, they eat the bacteria produced when the organic material decomposes. So yeah, I think you can simply toss the little guys in. They like soil so you might want to add some to the bin … and mine LOVE coffee grounds and shredded toilet paper rolls. Love you easy-to-make bin … it should work fabulously! Glad you’re giving it a try and hope you’ll give us an update as you get further into your composting adventure! 🙂
Small Footprints recently posted…Meet & Greet Monday (#MtaGt) – CelloMom on Cars
Oh. Ok. Cool. Thanks for the information! I will collect toilet paper rolls. We don’t have coffee ground around here, but I will add soil. Thanks so much!
What do you do in the winter? Do you bring them inside, or how does that work?
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Lisa recently posted…5 Among Friends – Week 11 and 12
No, I don’t bring them in during the winter. They have a bit of protection because my patio is covered but other than that, they do fine. The compost tends to be warm due to decomposing organic matter. The process slows down in the winter but does continue. I would suggest just moving your container to a place that is a bit protected from severe weather and temperatures, or even placing some kind of insulation (like hay) around the bin, and they should be fine. I’ve got a good article on the subject that I’ll send to you via google+ (comments, here, won’t take the link).
Small Footprints recently posted…Meet & Greet Monday (#MtaGt) – CelloMom on Cars
Thank you so much for the article. It has been really helpful.
Thank you for all you do!
Lisa recently posted…5 Among Friends – Week 11 and 12
Twitter: DawnSarosKirk
says:
We have a compost but I don’t tend to it like I should. I just use it to throw kitchen scraps and yard waste in it. It must break down because the pile gets smaller. I don’t turn it or use it. I keep an ice cream pail outside the kitchen door and just toss scraps in there and bring it over to the compost when it gets full. I thought about vermicomposting at one point but then never looked into it further. Good luck with yours! Let us know how it goes.
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Thanks Dawn.
My husband worried about it smelling, but I don’t think it will – with veggies and non fatty material. Plus, I didn’t want to attract animals.
I’m really not sure what the purpose of turning it is. I’m assuming that if I just left it, it would break down. I will definitely keep updating, as this is a very new adventure for me.
Lisa recently posted…5 Among Friends – Week 11 and 12
Twitter: CelloMomOnCars
says:
Sounds like you’re well on your way to a worm bin! The inner bin of our Worm Resort looks just like you describe. The other bin has one hole with a rubber stopper in it; my plants love the worm “tea”. We’ve had the same colony of red wrigglers in there for 15 years -you can order a pound online. I do bring them inside, as temperatures drop below 50F which the worms don’t like: they get to winter in the laundry room. So far, I’ve used the less sustainable peat moss; I should try the shredded paper: it’s free, too!
CelloMom recently posted…Ten Ways to Calm Car Traffic
WOW. So, you have two bins, one inside the other? What is the purpose of the stopper? Many people said they have the farm set on bricks? Is that for drainage, or controlling critters? I never quite got that info.
Thanks so much for stopping by Mama. You are such a wealth of information.
Lisa recently posted…The Kids are in School – It’s Time to Take a Vacation!
Twitter: CelloMomOnCars
says:
Here’s my setup: 1. Outer bin (with stoppered hole); 2. Bricks on the bottom, and on top of bricks, 3. Inner bin, like yours, perforated bottom, 4. Perforated lid.
Bedding, worms and veg scraps go into the inner bin. Worms do their thing, making compost plus worm “tea”: this you want to drain away, or the whole thing turns into a soggy mess: hence the perforations in the inner bin bottom. The outer bin is to catch the worm tea, tapped from the cleverly positioned hole (as close to the bottom as you can get it). I have the whole Worm Resort sitting on two clementine crates to make it easier to tap the tea. I did without the bricks for a while, but the inner bin gets horribly stuck as it gets heavy: the bricks are there to prevent that. I mean, it does need a washing once a year.
Have fun! I don’t know of anything that makes compost faster.
CelloMom recently posted…Seven Ways to Keep Your Teen from Texting While Driving
Thank you…thank you…thank you! So helpful!
Lisa recently posted…The Kids are in School – It’s Time to Take a Vacation!
Twitter: MudHutMa
says:
I love this Lisa! I will be sharing it – well done. I’ve also been meaning to compost for quite a while – I need to get my act together and just do it. I’ll really be looking forward to hearing about how the worm farm goes!
Jody recently posted…Animal Habitats for Kids With The Gruffalo
Hey Mama!
Yes indeedy, the worm farm will be interesting. I didn’t tell you that my hubby thinks I’m a nut. Well, when I have beautiful gardens, and are wasting less – he will see :). Haha!
I hope you are having a wonderful night! Have fun in school tomorrow.
Lisa recently posted…The Kids are in School – It’s Time to Take a Vacation!
Twitter: DoodlesandJots
says:
My sister composts and I think it is a great idea. This looks like a nice DIY method too. The one problem for me is I get queasy so easily from rotting smells. Maybe I will just have the kids do it!