Compost is your friend!

My Dad always had a compost pile back in the corner of the garden. He had it enclosed with fine mesh chicken wire. Every so often he would take a pitch fork and turn it over. No big deal. I guess composting now is more of an "art?"  Why is it people like to take something simple and make it complicated? Sheeesh!

I had a compost pile when we lived in NM, and it wasn't that big of a deal. We had a wire thing enclosing it, and I kept a bucket under the sink as a temporary hold for veggie/fruit/whatever things that could go in until I took them out there. I miss having one!

compost sounds eww.  my granddaddy always had one though.

I am very envious of the compost pilers, I want on really bad, my gparents always had one and it was super easy peasy!  I think it was built up w/ railroad ties, and then he dumped the weeds from the veggie garden, the yard trimmings and kitchen debris in it.....I am trying to talk hubby into building me one :)!  Good luck, I think it can be as big a deal as you want or as little of a deal as you want.  The book I have just shows a three sided thingy, that you go in w/ a pitch fork and toss around every now and again.

It is easy to compost. You CAN do all that fancy stuff, it makes it easier to contain, BUT you can just have a corner pile you throw stuff in. You already know what NOT to put in one.

It is better to have two piles...one for older compost that will be ready to use soon, and then a newer one. You do need to turn it occasionally with a pitchfork to aerate it. If it is really dry weather, it helps to wet it down to speed it up.

I don't put sticks in mine. For the leaves, it is easier to blow or rake them in a pile, and then run over with a mower OR put them in a big Rubbermaid trash can, and whir em with a string weed trimmer! When I had my chickens before the city took our farm *SOB* I would blow all the leaves to the chickens and let them eat and scratch, then every spring we would clean out the pen and add that to the compost pile. Chicken, rabbit and goat manure is better than horse and cow. Horse and cow will sprout weed seeds unless it has been 'baked.' The compost pile will not kill all those weed seeds, and ya don't want to put that into your flower beds or garden to germinate!

You know the compost is done when it is black and rich and smells like fertile earth. It will be full of earthworms...which is a very good thing!

Now you know who all your hippie friends are. But tell your husband we don't call ourselves that now days. We are earth stewards. And he is not politically correct. LOL My husband is actually the gardener around here. We had a comopost pile when we were in Idaho that basically started as all the yard trimmings. We were friends with someone who mowed lawns for a side income. They would bring the lawn trimmings to our sheep. But after a couple of days they wouldn't eat it. So we would compost it. Dry leaves help. We never bothered to chop them. I couldn't put food straight in it. I usually stuck leftovers in a blender and then filled it up with water. Then I would drop the smoothie in the pile or just over a bush that looked like it needed some vitamins. No biggie.
I have seen the worms. My neighbor kept them in her bathroom. She thought the kitchen was too gross too. i was surprised because I thought she was kinda prissy. But I was wrong. They did make some nice compost. But Blah!

You must have watched the Oprah show??? She had Julia Roberts on it with the compost worm thing....IICCCKKK!! We have also been talking about it but I'm not sure i could do it....I just want to recycle but containers are SO expensive and with this my last month of work......money is something I'm trying to SAVE up!

We have both a cold compost pile in our backyard and a $50 container as well. We use the compost every year in our garden, and it saves a lot of waste from going in to a landfill. I usually leave our collie and human hair on the back porch so the birds can use it to make their nests. Hair is an excellent insulator. Dog hair will also keep unwanted animals away (unless they are used to dogs) because of the scent.

I'm not into the worm thing, though. Just not my thing! :)

We've never used the "compost" in our pile.  We don't take the time to turn it.  It is just a pile for waste.  And no, we do not add worms.  If they happen to find the pile of "stuff" they are just lucky worms.  It is as far away from my kitchen as I can get it and still be on our property . 

I've inspected some houses that people had compost piles in their backyard. Some of them....well, I won't explain what they smelled like , but you get the picture! ***holds nose*** In remember one time when I was younger, we used to put all our grass cutting in a pile in the corner and after a fishing trip one time, we had some of these big african flattail worms left over. I buried them under all the rotted grass and MAN, after a few weeks we had these worms everywhere. We never had to buy worms to go fishin' anymore

But you're a RESPONSIBLE hippie!

I've been wanting to start that myself.  I've been recycling a ton and not using plastic bags at the store. 

I'm happy for your sundresses! Even though I can't wear them to work, I still love them!

RYC: You made my day, thank you!! I feel like a whale