If you are ecologically minded, you must compost. Composting is a painless way of lowering the amount of waste sent out to garbage dumps. It also leads to a nutrient rich soil modification you can add anywhere in your garden, showing that you can get treasure from your garbage.

When buying a compost tumbler there are a few things to remember.

1. Larger isn’t constantly much better. Many people think that larger is better and so they get the largest tumbler around. While this might fit your needs, keep in mind that the larger the bin, the much heavier it is and the more difficult it will be to turn.

2. Doors need to open quickly. Some tumblers have doors that screw on to the body of the composter. These are cumbersome and over time frequently get blocked with dirt and debris.

3. Consider how you will be removing the ended up compost. Some composters are low to the ground, while some are higher. If you plan on discarding yourcompostinto a wheel barrow it will be easier if the composter is higher off the ground. If you are planning on using a shovel to eliminate your compost, you might wish to consider a composter that is lower to the ground.

Compost bins are a must have in a lot of suburban and city environments. Most towns have guidelines against open compost piles as these can bring in rats and other pests, in addition to developing an odor which can be offensive to your next-door neighbors. Compost tumblers provide a classy service to this problem. They are normally odor free, cool, and inconspicuous.

If you are interested in purchasing a compost tumbler …

You can find a large inventory of compost tumblers ======>https://amzn.to/36YRMQO

How to start a compost tumbler

practicalsolarpunk:

Some of the things I was told about bokashi composting when I started doing it weren’t accurate, and it was a struggle for a while. But I learned a lot after doing it for a year, and it’s actually an awesome composting option for apartments and other small and/or rented spaces.

So here’s Mod J’s Post on Why Apartment-Dwellers Should Do Bokashi Composting, with a few things I wish I’d known starting out.

What is bokashi composting?

Here’s what I understood when I started bokashi composting:

Bokashi composting is a method of composting that uses microorganisms in a powder called “bokashi bran” to speed up the composting process and eliminate the smell. Put your food scraps in the bin and layer with the bran. Once the bin is full, let it sit for two more weeks, and you’ll have good dirt ready for planting.

That’s not entirely accurate. Here’s a more accurate description:

Bokashi composting uses fermentation to turn organic waste into two components: a solid pre-compost and a liquid “bokashi tea.” The tea can be dilluted with water (a 1:100 ratio is recommended because of its high acidity) and used as a fertilizer. The pre-compost can be buried in dirt and within two weeks will become nutrient-rich compost dirt itself.

How does it work?

The bokashi method works by fermentation. Keeping it in an airtight bin allows it to ferment instead of rot, and the “bran” is supposed to help it along. (Sometimes white mold grows on the stuff inside -that’s perfectly fine and normal.) Fermenting breaks down the organic material a lot faster than ordinary composting. You end up with two components: The solid pre-compost and the liquid bokashi tea. The tea needs to be drained from the bin regularly so the excess liquid doesn’t impede the fermentation process, which is why bokashi bins have a spigot at the bottom.

Does it really have no smell?

Yes and no. If the bin or bucket you’re using has a good seal on it, you won’t smell it while the bin is closed. However, the fermenting stuff inside and the liquid that comes off it smell absolutely vile, and you willsmell it when you open the bin or drain the liquid.

Do I need to use the bokashi bran?

All the companies selling bokashi stuff say you do and it helps the process along and whatever. But never trust marketing. I’ve done full bins with a lot of the bran, some with a little bran, and some with none at all, and I’ve noticed no difference. You can try the bran and see if it works better for you, but if you don’t have any or don’t want to buy more you don’t have to.

Do I need a specific bokashi bin?

It’s definitely helpful. Bokashi bins are set up with a seal in the top to keep it airtight and seal off any smells, a bottom that tapers down to a spigot for draining off the tea, and a screen to keep the solid stuff from going all the way to the bottom and clogging up the spigot. You could absolutely build your own, but I recommend a similar setup just for ease of use.

What can I put in my bokashi bin?

Anything you would put in regular compost - vegetable scraps, leftovers, eggshells, etc. Moldy food you forgot about in the refrigerator is also great, and since bokashi uses fermentation instead of rotting, even cooked meat can go into the bin. I’ve thrown in everything from paper napkins to whole zucchinis to a compostable toothbrush (although admittedly, that last one took closer to four weeks to fully break down). There’s no need to worry about ratios of anything - the fermentation will do the work for you.

Why use bokashi?

Turn foods scraps into dirt that you can use to grow more food even while living somewhere you can’t have a compost pile. It’s faster than regular compost (a full bucket takes two weeks of fermenting and two weeks of being buried until it’s done), there’s no smell when the lid is closed, and a lot of bins will fit under a kitchen sink. It’s great for apartments, rentals, and small spaces.

The one downside is that it costs a little more to buy a bokashi bin than it does to just throw some old vegetables in a pile. (I got my bin on eBay for about $50, and many of the name-brand ones are more expensive.) But I live in an apartment, and bokashi composting lets me still have the benefits of turning my food waste into good dirt that I can use to grow more food without needing a yard to put in a full compost bin. That makes it worth the investment for me.

- Mod J

Anon asked:

Can cooked, starting to…melt…pasta be composted in one of those off the ground roller bins?

I don’t have any experience with the composter you’re talking about, but I don’t see why not! The only reason I might not compost it is if it’s got a lot of fat (oil or butter) or a meat sauce on it, and that’s just because it might get stinky and attract pests.

- Mod S

lovely-low-waster:

The majority of waste that goes to landfill is organic matter, most of which can be composted at home! Pretty much everyone knows what they can compost food wise, but these items are ones you might not consider. These items are commonly made of paper and cardboard that is the carbon aspect of what needs to go in your compost. I would be wary of a couple items though that are on this; butter wrappers can be made of a mixed material that includes plastic so make sure they are made of wax paper if you want to compost them. Similarly not all tea bags are made of paper. Typically you can subject them to a tear test to see if they’re really made out of paper. Glad to give a little reminder to what else can go into the compost pile to divert some waste out of the landfill!

infographic from the wildminimalist on instagram

hater-of-terfs:

Vermicomposting saves a lot of time and space compared to conventional composting, as well as being a lot less smelly and messy and accepting a larger diversity of scraps. That makes it perfect for apartments or dorms

pinabutterjam:

Hey it’s almost winter in the Northern hemisphere, it’s time to prepare for a spring garden with a lasagna compost

It’ll break down over the winter, protect and nourish the soil, and give you a rich medium for gardening in the spring!

turtlesandfrogs:

turtlesandfrogs:

Now is the easiest time of year to start a new garden bed (assuming “now” = early fall, day time temperatures around 45f). All you have to do is lay down cardboard:

Top it with still some nitrogen rich compostable matter, in this case grass clippings:

Some carbon-rich matter, in this case old wood chips:

And keep layering until it’s pretty thick:

And then walk away and ignore it until spring. All winter long, it’ll be decomposing, while killing the grass and weeds underneath. By spring time, the soil underneath will be nice & loose and fertile, and you’ll be able to plant straight into it.

(If you want to meet organic standards, then make sure any cardboard or paper is non-glossy and black & white. This was for someone else’s flower bed, so the red ink isn’t going to be an issue)

To answer the weed seeds question, I personally usually top it off with a thick layer of fall leaves or wood chips, which doesn’t give seeds a good place to start. Both of these are used as weed-preventing mulches here. It also helps that were going into the cold season, so they’re not going to get much of an opportunity to grow.

I forgot to mention, but the name of this method is sheet mulching or lasagna gardening, so search those terms if you want more info.

gardeningwithpina:

What is Chop-and-Drop Mulch and Why You Should Use It for Your Garden

A chop-and-drop mulch plant is one that produces a lot of biomass, which can be periodically pruned, pulled or coppiced (cutting the plant down to a stump), the organic matter then allowed to fall right to the ground as a layer of mulch. Hence, why it’s called chop-and-drop: we cut the plant and let the trimmings fall seemingly carelessly to the floor.

When naturally revitalizing soil, a collection of choice chop-and-drop plants helps to create well-balanced, nutritionally rich earth in which we can easily cultivate other plants. Aside from providing easy-to-reach mulch material, mulching being a must in healthy gardens, typical chop-and-drop plants come with some special characteristics that increase their worth.

ggplants:

practicalsolarpunk:

practicalsolarpunk:

Next up for International Compost Awareness Week: If you can’t put manure in your compost pile, what do you do with it???

These handy articles below explain a bit about why you should use it, and how you can safely compost it!

“Manure is a low-cost fertilizer and a wonderful way to utilize nutrients instead of creating a pile that is not getting used and could be harmful to water quality,”

“…chicken’ digestive system kills weed seeds — 98%! — that might otherwise be spread to the garden.“ Which makes them great for disposing of all those pesky weeds you pulled!

“Simply aging a manure pile for three months can kill about 60 percent of the weed seeds present, and bacterial counts start to drop within days after the manure leaves the animal. Then, when the aged manure is mixed into the soil, soil microorganisms clear out residual bacteria in about a month.”

I(mod S) have chickens and guinea fowl, all of whom create so. much. manure. There are a couple different ways I handle their waste, both of which require as little effort as I can possibly manage.  The first is my designated bird waste spot, which is a repurposed feed trough that was probably originally intended for cattle, so it’s rather large. When the coops get cleaned out, the waste goes in the trough.  It sits for a while, a few months at least, until it looks more like soil than manure. Then I usually plant it with flowers, gourds, maybe decorative pumpkins - in other words, things not for eating. After those plants have lived out their lives and died back, I dig out the now fantastic soil and distribute it around various beds, wherever it’s needed.

The other method I use is when I’m making a raised bed.  I avoid buying soil as much as I possibly can, so I tend to get kinda creative when I need to fill in a bed. I put a few rotting logs in the bottom, followed by a thick layer of manure, and then a thick layer of soil. Then after a week when it settles a bunch and is no longer as high as I want it, I add more soil. This creates really nice soil that won’t need amending for a few years, at least, and since there is several inches at least of soil on top, I can plant directly in it, rather than having to wait for it to decompose. 

Also, as a bonus for chicken keepers, you can feed them the dairy and meat that all the guides say not to put in the compost pile!

Don’t have your own animals creating manure, but have space to compost it? Many horse farms, at least around where I live, have more than they can deal with, and some actually pay to have it carted away. You may be able to score a load for free!

If getting manure from someone else, keep in mind that there may be herbicides, pesticides, or other chemicals in it. It is exceedingly rare for horses to be kept organic, and it isn’t particularly common for chickens, either. Additionally, while chickens’ digestion kills weed seeds, other animals do not! Fascinatingly, some farmers have intentionally fed seeds such as clover to their animals with the intention of spreading them about the pasture via manure with decent success!

Happy composting!

- Mod S

Chickens, I believe, are unique in that their digestive system destroys seeds on the way through.

The chicken is not responsible for the distribution of seeds from one location to another of the ones tested. The digestive system was capable of disintegrating seeds so that they were not detectable by exam- ination of the fecal matter. The viability of the seeds was destroyed in the intestinal tract.

“The gizzard holds small stones called gastroliths, which are necessary components of a chicken’s diet. The gizzard’s strong muscle contractions agitate the food against the grit, similar to how we chew with our teeth.”

Basically, to my understanding, the seeds are ground up in the gizzard, destroying many of them.  I believe that further along the digestive tract there are other things that also reduce the viability of seeds. This doesn’t happen to every type of seed, it isn’t 100% effective, but it’s incredibly helpful in the garden! I personally feed my chickens nearly all of the weeds I pull.  Even if they don’t eat them (they don’t seem to like mint) I know that with their scratching and running around, nothing is going to grow in their coop, effectively ending those particular plants reproduction. 

- Mod S

Anon asked: Can I ask a few dumb questions? Why can’t dog or cat poo be used in composting? Is it the same for human poo? Or are pet and human poo usable? What all should I BE composting, other than leaves, twigs, and grass?

There is no such thing as a stupid question!! And these are all great questions, composting can be a super complicated topic and I totally understand your confusion.

So the short answer is, anything that will decompose CAN be composted, poo included.

Long answer is, its complicated. Poop in general can carry diseases and parasites, which, if it’s being used for growing food, means that it needs to be well decomposed before its put anywhere near food plants. Chicken, horse, cow, rabbit, and goat manure are generally fairly safe to use if allowed to decompose for a few months. Of course, this process can be sped up through a method called hot composting, but that’s a bit more involved. My strategy is, when I clean out my chicken coops, I pile it in a specific place and leave it alone for 6-12 months, then spread it out in early spring in areas I’ll be planting later. This is called cold composting, and requires very little effort.

Composting toilets are a great example of how to treat human waste! I believe what comes out of them is safe to use for food plants, though that may only be true of the systems I’ve seen. And I’m not 100% sure of the legality of using it, many places don’t allow it to be used in larger scale agriculture. A lot of people are also really grossed out by the idea of using human waste to grow food, even when it’s entirely safe.

Dog and cat waste seems to be treated similarly to human waste. There seem to be mixed opinions on whether it’s safe or has any benefits in the garden. Rather than putting my dogs’ waste in the trash, I usually toss it out into the forest, away from where anyone will be walking or foraging. It’ll break down fairly quickly, especially if it’s spread out, and there’s no risk of contaminating anything.

As for what you should be composting, kitchen scraps are great! Coffee grounds, tea leaves and vegetable scraps are common things that can be added to your compost. Animal products, such as meat, dairy and eggs, can be stinky whilst decomposing and attract rodents and insects, so most people don’t put them in their compost. Cardboard boxes, toilet paper rolls, napkins and paper towels can all be composted!

I’ll find some resources on composting to share, but feel free to ask more questions!

- Mod S

gardeningwithpina:

The Benefits of Gardening with Mulch | Fix.com

You can also mulch with unglazed terrcotta pots!

Mulch is awesome! I would like to note that if you are using kitchen scraps or manure, they need to decompose first, for two main reason. The first is that the process of decomposition uses nitrogen, and will pull it from the soil and away from plants. The second is that both, though manure is more of a concern, can carry bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli.

- Mod. S

Giving thanks for the beginning of fig season.

The simple joy of a handful of fresh picked mustard greens.

“Stay aware & know how everything is connected. If one part of the ecosystem goes down, everything else goes down with it.“‬ Maurice Small

headspace-hotel:

kineticpenguin:

thefencebeetle:

deutsche-bahn:

deutsche-bahn:

Reddit germans refusing to use any anglicized words to the point of absurdity VS tumblr germans using the most abhorrent denglish you’ve ever seen

Here’s possibly the weirdest way to translate shitpost:

“in a nutshell” is at least a bit more obvious

Honorable mentions to that guy who translated “pov” into a row of words that couldn’t possibly sound any more unnatural:

That’s child’s play.

Take a look at the French reddit guidelines to avoid English words to the point of complete absurdity :

I can’t decide what’s funnier: insisting on making French versions of brand names like Youtube and Reddit, or for some reason, doing it to “Merica Fuck Yeah”

Masturbenrond…