Monday, May 2, 2011

Compost Week

Just is case you weren't aware, Sunday was the beginning of International Compost Awareness Week. ("Woohoo" I hear you all cry)

There is so much amazing information out there about composting, so I thought I would bring a few of sites together for you.
Cleanup
WMRC Earth Carers
Sustainable Gardening Australia
G Magazine

We have reduced the amount of waste that goes into our council bin substantially and I know that a lot of this is due to composting. We now have 2 bins on the go.

One other composting system we have invested in is a Bokashi bin. The benefit of this system is that it is not picky at all as to what can go in. Cooked food, dairy and meat can all go in, and as it is an anaerobic system, there is no smell if you choose to keep this in the house. As long as you keep the lid tightly on and make sure that the tap is always closed, there is no reason you could not have one in your kitchen.

With both compost and bokashi, we keep separate buckets on the bench. Once a day we empty these into their respectable bin. Bokashi also involves squashing down and sprinkling with some of the Bokashi mix. The mix that you use "is a mixed culture of beneficial naturally occurring micro-organisms, mainly lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, photosynthetic bacteria and actinomycetes. All of these are mutually compatible and coexist in a liquid culture. " It doesn't break down like in a compost bin, but it smells more like it is pickling. It isn't too offensive but sometimes you might need to increase the amount of mis you sprinkle over the top.




On an Earth Carers course one of the tours guides commented that if you have the space for a garden, you have the space for compost.

The biggest pay-off of it all is using your own compost to grown your own vegetables. What a buzz. I really love the little surprises you get too. I have lost count of the number of tomato seedings I have harvested just from the compost that has gone onto the garden.

I hope you enjoy International Compost Awareness Week.

Take care

6 comments:

  1. A good time to empty the mature compost from our Tumbleweed bin, so we can start again. We intend on building a 2 or 3 bay compost system, but by the time we do that, we'll probably have chickens anyway!

    Love the photo, btw!

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  2. yay for compost! I thought it looked really complicated, but I haven't had any trouble. I throw in all the wood shavings from the chicken pen and lots of comfrey, so that seems to keep it going. I can't imagine putting green waste in the bin now, it seems totally wrong. If you have a garden, you NEED a compost bin to make lovely nutritious compost, go on, give it a try.....

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  3. Dixiebelle, a bay system would be great to get going. Something in the future for us.
    We were only talking about chickens on the weekend. The plan is to get some early next year. A few other things going on here that would make any livestock a little tricky.
    Thanks re the photo. ; )

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  4. Farmer LIz, I know what you mean about how easy it is. It didn't take long to get it going properly. I must get some comfrey as I know it is great for the composting process. I know my child brainwashing is working as the kiddies wont even let anything compostable of into the council bin.
    I was talking to a guy a few weeks ago who said that since he has been putting the manure from the rabbit hutch in the compost it is working fabulously.

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  5. Compost is wonderful! Unfortunately, International Compost Awareness Week is a front for the sewage sludge industry. It is organized by the US Composting Council run by Synagro and the municipal sewage plants across the US. They bag "composted" sewage sludge and neglect to tell you it is sewage sludge. Sewage sludge (or "biosolids" as their PR term goes) is illegal in organic agriculture and contaminated with thousand of substances from PCBs to dioxins to metals, flame retardants and pathogens. Google "US Composting Council" and look for the SourceWatch article for the documentation. Or go to the FoodRightsNetwork.org site.
    John Stauber, author, Toxic Sludge Is Good for You!

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  6. John, it is so scary the lengths that some corporations will go to. That all sounds revolting and so deceptive. I will certainly have a read through that site you suggested.
    I think I will still to making compost from my own vegetable scraps and garden refuse.
    Thanks for dropping by.

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Thanks so much for dropping by. I really appreciate any comments you have to make.

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