The Compost Post

As I watch J cut up the rest of our non-edibles into our patio bin, I'm taken back to some weeks ago...prior to our apartment-hold growvolution evolution. Nebulous. That's what the word "compost" was to me.

What is compost? I think what we've gleaned from our small pile of nearly overdue library books is that it is basically by far the best form of fertilizer a plant being can get.

• It helps to keep our plant friends free of pesky pests 
• Encourages a healthy pH balance which liberates much loved and needed nutrients 
• Warms the soil with its chocolate-y rich color....
• Speaking of rich, it helps the soil retain water and nutrients that our wee ones will be so grateful for, they'll be positively popping come harvest time (we're thinking big here...just go with it) 
• The best part is that you're not carelessly chucking what can be truly amazing stuff into landfills where they will only take up and stink up the place, never coming to any use to me, my belly, you, or your belly (which like the idea and can't wait for the fancy home grown goodies that are no doubt going to be entering them soon!)

Is composting difficult? No
Can I compost if I live in an apartment? Yes
Is it smelly? NO (not if it has the right balance....)
What goes into our Compost? Thought you'd never ask. There are different ways to compost. Some people just throw their kitchen and garden extras into a heap in their backyard and let it decompose on it's own sweet time. Because we would like to get this green party started ASAP, we decided to do a "hot" bin to speed up the process.
The goal for our compost is for it to have a Carbon to Nitrogen ratio of 30:1. With this ratio, we'll get the temp's up to about 130*F, which will be perfect for all the friendly bacteria, worms, fungi and everyone else involved to do their jobs (eating, pooping, eating, and pooping...having fun yet??)
The trick is to have a fairly equal amount of browns versus greens...
      The Greens: 

• All of your food scraps (cut small, preferably), except animal products and oils (egg shells work, just not the innards). I also have heard mixed thoughts on citrus peels, but we don't discriminate. What do you think?
• Grasses, but no weeds
• Tea/tea bags/Coffee grounds are AWESOME (we like the way they make our pile smell...mmmmm)

      ...and on the Brown Team, we have...:

• Dried leaves
• Pine cones
• Mulch (smaller pieces)
• Small branches will do, but they take a long time to decompose
• Nothing painted or treated

Basically, all we have in our kitchen now are a to-be-composted can and a recyclables. Its pretty awesome.
There are so many different containers for composting. J made our patio one out of a medium sized plastic storage tub thing. Some cities actually even supply the bins for free...
We think everyone should make the world a better place, and start composting. Then you can send us pretty packages filled with all of the happy fruits, veggies, and strawberry pies to come.

Here are the names of a couple of the books we've grazed:
Easy Compost by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Talking Dirt by Annie Spiegelman
The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Edward C. Smith
Thank you for sharing your green/brown wisdom!