Composters are great for your garden and for the planet. A composter makes superior garden soil that can’t be matched by commercially prepared soils. After all, a compost pile makes soil just like nature does – by natural decomposition. It is a slow process that takes time, but not a whole lot of effort. You’ll be rewarded with rich healthy soil and the burden on our landfills will be relieved a small bit.
Composting begins in the kitchen because food scraps make up a big part of the mix. Unless you want to run out to your compost pile after every meal, you should invest in a kitchen compost bucket. As you prepare your meals and after you clean up, chop up the scraps into small pieces and store them in your compost bucket until it is convenient to empty it into your compost bin. Kitchen composters come in different styles from plastic buckets to ceramic crocks. You can keep your composter under the sink where it is out of sight so you don’t need anything fancy. You do however, need a tight fitting lid so odor doesn’t escape and attract insects and vermin.
The choice in outdoor composters is huge. The first thing you should decide is if you want an open pit or an enclosed bin. If you live in the city or anticipate problems with wildlife, you may want an enclosed compost bin. If you don’t relish the idea of manually turning over your compost with a pitchfork on a regular basis, a compost tumbler is probably a good idea.
Compost tumblers are compost bins that rotate when you crank them or roll them. This is an easy way to keep the scraps inside mixed and aerated. These come in large and small sizes and sit up on legs or rest flat on the ground. The easiest units to operate are the ones that work with a hand crank and sit up on legs because when it is time to empty the container, you simply tip it over and the compost pours out. You have to manually scoop out compost from tumblers that sit on the ground. That isn’t a tough job though and may not even factor into your decision when looking at composters.
Other composting bins just sit on the ground similar to large wastebaskets or tanks. These are commonly made out of recycled plastic in keeping with the concern for the environment. Since these don’t tumble, you have to mix your compost scraps by hand on a regular basis. You can use a pitchfork for this, or a compost aerator. If your bin is small you can even use a hand rake or hand shovel. It is important to keep your compost well aerated so it will decompose.
Aerating your compost allows oxygen to get through all the layers and this speeds up decomposition. This is the reason composting is so important to our planet. Food that is deposited in a landfill will take up space for several decades because the soil is packed down and no oxygen can reach it to assist with decomposition. By recycling food scraps at home, it puts less of a burden on our landfills that are already filled to capacity.
In addition to keeping your compost stirred up and aerated, you need to constantly add new scraps to your compost bin in the proper proportions. Composters need food scraps but they also need carbon waste such as dead leaves and paper in order to make rich soil. Adding worms to composters is optional. They aren’t necessary but they can assist in decomposition.
Composters take several months to produce a full bin of rich compost ready for garden use. You’ll need to plan well ahead of garden planting season so your compost will be ready. Many gardeners use two composters so they can always have a batch of compost ‘cooking’ and one always ready to use.
Composters produce soil that greatly enhances the soil in your garden whether it is primarily sand or clay. Compost holds moisture at the proper level yet drains readily. However, it is important to keep in mind that compost bins are naturally humid environments and it is easy for too much moisture to accumulate in them. If that happens, your batch of compost could be ruined.
To prevent that from happening, make sure your bin is protected from rain and has air vents. You may also want to drill drain holes in the bottom so excess moisture can drain away. If you do have drain holes, be sure to elevate your compost bin so it doesn’t sit in a rain puddle and soak in moisture that way.
Composters are pretty easy to set up and maintain. The only real effort is the commitment needed to save your food scraps each day and keep the bin aerated on a regular basis. Compost bins make that easy since you don’t have to walk to the end of the garden in all kinds of weather to get to your compost pit. You can set an attractive compost bin right next to your back door for the ultimate in convenience.
When you are shopping for composters or compost accessories, try looking in home improvement, garden and farm stores. You can also shop for them online where you can find an endless selection of styles and sizes to choose from. You can spend a lot of money if you want to on composters but if your budget is tight, don’t let that stop you. All you need to get started is a container and a lid and you can grow from there.
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