Saving the Earth, One Compost Bin at a Time

Ok, so not really. Adam teases me that I belong in Portland because I think we should recycle some of our garbage. What?! It saves on garbage bags, and the number of times I have to take it out! But what I really wanted to write about is my new homemade compost bin! It is something I have been wanting to do for a very long time and I finally sat down and researched on the computer how to make one at home. It was so easy!! I am not making my own compost in order to lessen the burden on our land fills or in remembrance of the 3 R's (you know, reduce, reuse, recycle). I'm not all crazy and go chaining myself to the front doors of the capitol building in order to convince "them" to tear down all the dams to let the salmon swim free, or whatever else people are fighting for these days. I just have a strong desire to one day have a wonderfully large garden and by making my own compost I won't have to rely as much on purchasing fertilizers and have a larger yield in my garden. Why not take the things I would normally throw in the garbage, and instead throw them in my compost bin to reuse for my own benefit? So why am I starting this now, before I am living in my mansion with a 1 acre backyard? (Haha, just kidding!) Really, I'm not sure. But I did decide recently that I want to plant a small garden next year in my pots and I figure if I can get through 3 to 4 cycles of compost, I should have plenty to mix in with my soil for next years bounty. Did you know, if done right, my first batch of compost can be done in 6 to 8 weeks? Since I tend to be challenged at doing things "right" I figure it will take me 8 to 10 weeks.

Since I am limited on space, I wanted something relatively small and I found a website that teaches how to make a composter either from an old garbage can (the larger kind, that you would leave for the garbage man) or an 18 gallon plastic storage bin, i.e. Sterilite or Rubbermaid. I went for the storage bin since I already had a few empty ones in the garage. I just drilled a few holes in the sides and Voila! ten minutes later, a new compost bin! Now if only I had some yard waste to put in it... Darn landscapers! Good thing I have a mother-in-law nearby with a big yard!