Basic Composting Guide for Everyone

During a trek through the Costa Rican rain forest last summer, I discovered the cyclical nature of, well, nature.  To help us study nature’s framework, we were asked to isolate ourselves in silence for ten minutes and focus only on one sense. After first choosing the sense of taste (and learning that tree bark is disgusting), I focused on sight.

I saw a toucan eating fruit in the tree tops.  Later, that toucan would poop those fruit seeds.  The seeds would one day grow into a tree that would serve as food and shelter for various animals.  The fruit, leaves, and twigs that fall from the tree decompose to create rich soil that will grow more trees and start the cycle over again.  Everything in a rain forest has a purpose and nothing goes to waste.  It’s a giant recycling machine!

Reflecting on my own life, I felt like such a wasteful creature; my poop doesn’t do magical things like make trees grow, and I’m pretty sure yours doesn’t either. Not to worry, there are ways we can be just as resourceful without having to redesign our internal plumbing. Today, we’re going to help you create an easy-to-maintain system that turns your other organic waste into fuel.

Yup, we’re talking about compost–what a beautiful cycle!

COMPOST 101

Compost is the decomposition of organic material, like food scraps, into rich soil that can be used as food for plants that then grow into food for us to eat.  Yum!

Since most organic material can be composted, we compost all of our left over food, except animal products like cheese, meat, and egg.  However, you can compost eggshells.  Don’t forget to include paper towels, paper egg crates–because I know you’re buying the good kind of eggs–and coffee grounds.

Composting in 3 Simple Steps:

1. Start by keeping a Tupperware bowl in your kitchen.  Throw all your scraps into the bowl when you’re done eating or snacking.
   • HINT: If you don’t want that wonderful, organic compost smell, seal it with a lid and refrigerate it.
2. Place a bin, like a large Rubbermaid container, into a designated area in your backyard or balcony (or under your sink). When your kitchen bowl is full, dump it into the larger bin where the food can decompose. You can put a lid on it to contain the smell or keep out rodents.  Just make sure that it’s well ventilated.
   • HINT: We take our compost out daily.
3. Your compost needs oxygen, so every few days you’ll need to shake things up.  Use a stick or shovel to stir inside the bin,  or you can literally shake it.  This is essential for the bacteria to do the dirty work.
   

   compost nearly ready for gardening

Viola! Rich compost on the way.

Next time, tune in to learn the secret art of worm charming to get nutrient rich compost.

Do you compost? What advice can you give beginners? Let us know in the comments! Also, send us pics of your composting bin to  tips[at]republicofaustin[dot]com, and we’ll share them in a future post!

Happy Composting!

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