Compost Bins Indoor and Out

Composting starts with a compost bin or pile that retains heat necessary for decomposition. Compost is mulch and amends the soil, replacing or lessening the need for fertilizers and pesticides which is beneficial to everyone. Compost will loosen and restructure soil, improving fertility and promoting healthy root systems. It improves soil pH, keeping moisture in the soil, preventing erosion, suppressing soil-borne plant pathogens and supplying soil with very beneficial micro-nutrients and microorganisms.

It is the result of worms, insects, bacteria and fungi producing excrement that are nutrient rich. This is nature's recycling process and we are simply duplicating this process. When we compost, we are supporting our environment in a positive manner.

Compost must be maintained to create an environment that promotes decay. It must be turned regularly to aerate, and they must retain a degree of heat and moisture. The rewards and benefits of compost is great for your yard and garden.

There are quite a variety of nice compost bins available.

• Good green organic matter to add -
  coffee grounds
  tea bags
  fruit/vegie trimmings
  grass clippings
  hair
  disease-free plants
  tree trimmings
• Good brown organic matter to add -
  clean shredded white paper
  newspaper
  cardboard
  coal-free ashes
  cotton/wool scraps
  crushed nutshells and eggshells
  dry leaves
  dry yard trimmings
  straw
  sawdust
  woodchips
  untreated wood
• What NOT to add -
  bird droppings
  urine, or feces from animals or humans
  bones
  dairy products / meat / blood (anything that will attract rodents)
  Greasy / oil-based items
  chemically treated items
  plastic / styrofoam and rocks will never break down
• Things that slow down the compost process -
  pine needles
  eucalyptus leaves
  citrus peels
  
  

I was first introduced to a kitchen composter when visiting a friend,s home for the first time and witnessing her putting cooking scraps into a crock container on her counter. After asking what this was all about, I was given a quick education on the whole idea of composting starting indoors.

These little composts are perfect for those not wanting to make the trip daily out to the yard compost bin, or who live in an apartment and simply want to fertilize their plants and not a whole yard or garden. These little bins can be kept under the sink where your tossed coffee, tea bags, egg shells and vegie scraps will turn into rich, black compost. To help with odors and to speed up the process, many use add-in products such as filters and little heaters to keep them at the optimal temperature.

Compost Bins- Scraps dumped in a pile will decompose, but a bin is much more pleasant to look at and they will speed up the compost process by allowing in the appropriate water and air. Keeping everything contained and warm allows nature to work optimally. Large bins can hold a lot, thereby producing a lot, and you will only have to turn the pile now and then.

Worm Composters - These containers take up less room than a bin, and worms produce rich, black compost. They are ideal for those with a small yard or for those living in apartments, and pose no chance of the squirmy critters getting out. You will want to be sure that the container is in a "livable" environment, as it won't work well in freezing or very hot temperatures.

Compost Tumblers - These are compost containers that stay on their sides and are tumbled on an axis. Not turning the compost is a common failure of many starting out, and these containers make the job easy. They mix in just the right amount of air for the bacteria to work, and many have wheels so you can move the compost close to your garden for distribution.

You can choose from many variaties of compost bins.

Rain Barrel Use
Chicken Coops
Clotheslines
Greenhouses