Daydream: Compost
For the last year or so, I have been intrigued by the idea of composting. My desire to intentionally decompose food scraps comes from three current problems:
1. Our apartment is small and we have a big trash can and the trash gets smelly before it's full enough to justify taking out the entire 30 gallon trash bag.
2. As my garden grows a little bit bigger each year and I try more container gardening, I need to purchase more soil and compost from the store. I don't actually know where the stuff is coming from that I put on my produce plants or that I am spending my dollars on. It could say great marketing key phrases like organic and compost, but how do I actually know?
3. Food waste sitting in dumps is only helping to grow greenhouse gasses that only helps global warming out a bit more.
I recently read a few articles from National Geographic on both food loss and food waste.
(See the US Environmental Protection Agency for more info on HOW to compost personally)
The process is pretty simple (I THINK). Here are a few tools from the more aesthetically pleasing end of the gardening/compost world.
1. This walnut food scraps box is intended to sit in your kitchen to collect produce scraps until you can take it out to your compost
There are a ton of different styles out there, but I like the look of the wood for our kitchen. I found a much cheaper version here
2. Coffee grounds are basically gold for your compost from what I have read. We use a new filter every day with our Chemex. These filters could be thrown right in compost
3. A scoop (for the spring when planting) and a turner for the weekly mixing of the compost
4. A wooden basket because it's beautiful and would get used for a multitude of things....
5. Charcoal filters to help with any sorts of smells
6. These clogs are mostly day dream for days spent in a large garden someday :)
7. Composting worms i.e. "nature's garbage disposal" - this is for big time compost
8. These are my kind of work gloves for gardening and handling weird food things
9. Lastly, the king of the process, this compost can is perfect for an apartment with an uninsulated storage porch attached! (That's very specific to our apartment...I am sure it will also work for your home as well)
Just daydreaming out loud here. Let me know if you're way into composting and want to share your wisdom with me! Projects that are personally satisfying and also beneficial to the earth's wellbeing (therefore our wellbeing) are the best in my book...
From Pleasant St. on a slow fall morning
-Emily
