A Case for Composting

Recently I have checked out various books from the library in order to expand my knowledge on things that will improve our homesteading journey.  When we first moved to Redwoodshire I wrote a POST  detailing my journey to composting and what I had learned up to that point.  That was May of 2014.  That post shares how I had little experience composting and considered it a pile at the back of my yard where I could throw produce scraps.  Now in December of 2015, we have multiple compost piles, where we collect not only our massive piles of leaves and grass clippings, but we also dispose of many of our kitchen scraps.  Did you know that you can throw your tea bags into the compost pile?  Our two main motivations to compost up to this point have been to create natural hummus to fertilize our garden and to minimize our trash production (since we do not have garbage pick up service).  Between recycling, composting and cloth diapering 2 children under 3 years old, we make about 1 full kitchen bag of garbage each week.  Consider all of the garbage we would make if both our children were in disposable diapers?!?!

This past week, "How to Build, Maintain and Use a Compost System- Secrets and Techniques You Need to Know to Grow the Best Vegetables" by Kelly Smith, caught my interest.  All of these points are quoted directly out of Chapter 1 of the above noted book.

Here are some cool bits of information that further deepened my appreciation for composting, and made me want to encourage more to do the same.

DID YOU KNOW?
-Compost keeps the garden soil evenly moist, and decreases the amount of water you must add.
-Compost contains a mixture of bacteria and microbes that in turn create natural antibiotics, which can help prevent plant diseases, and help plants to be healthier.
-Compost binds with toxins like lead and cadmium so that plants cannot consume them- which then keeps them out of the food chain.
-Food scraps and kitchen waste make up 12% of municipal solid waste (32 million tons of trash) & yard waste and trimmings make up 13% of municipal solid waste (33 million tons of yard waste)-throwing away biodegradable materials wastes tons of space in landfills, and costs money and fossil fuels to transport them there.

Why spend money on chemical fertilizers, when you can make your own natural fertilizer by way of things you already have to get rid of?  Composting is better for the environment and better for you & your health- and it happens to be really easy.  The above referenced book is a great place to learn more about composting, and do it effectively.  And if you aren't interested in reading a book, just research enough to understand some of the basics of what goes into a compost,  and balancing the green and brown materials.  Then after enough time has passed for nature to do it's thing, and your waste has been converted into  dark, nutrient rich hummus, mix it into your vegetable garden or flower gardens and be impressed with what happens.  After a season of using your compost, you will surely be sold on the benefits of composting!

One things always leads to another.  First came the birds (bird feeder).  Then comes the Bees- Spring 2016.   Chicken poop is a very nutrient rich fertilizer, so we should get chickens to help fertilize our garden;)  Actually, we want chickens for nice fresh, free range brown eggs.  The chicken poop is just an added benefit for our garden.  We're confident the chickens are coming next. Currently researching chicken coop designs.

Feel free to share your composting stories in comments!