Composting

Another new addition to the garden is a compost bin.   For about $40 at a local hardware store I picked up a 115 gallon compost bin made by GardenPlus. It is made of 90% recycled materials.  The bin snaps together and seems to be of good quality.  Some of the reviews of the unit are negative but I found those accusations to be unfounded.  Total time to put it together was about 10 minutes and I was taking my time.




My reasons for composting is basically being frugal.  I turn yard waste and vegetable waste into fertilizer.  All grass and plants taken out of the garden are going into the bin.  There is a lot of pine cones, pine needles, leaves and other yard waste I can throw into the bin.  Along with the yard waste can go banana peels, spoiled vegetables, paper and coffee grounds can go in.

Things that can go into the bin:

• yard waste - grass clippings, leaves, pine cones/needles, tree limbs.
• vegetable waste - banana peels, apple cores, onion skins, anything vegetable and fruit related.
• paper - shredded documents, junk mail.
• coffee grounds, tea, anything else that was once a plant.
• Water from cleaning out your aquarium.

It is pretty simple to compost.  Add 50% green and 50% brown, water and air.  Nature will break this down into compost.  You will need to turn the pile and make sure it is moist or it will rot and not compost.  Easy enough with a pitchfork or a special tool you can buy at the hardware store.