Another Try at Composting

The last time I composted was when my friend, Jenn, gave me a wonderful housewarming gift of a counter top compost bin. It's one of those cute bins that look like a cross between a small fire hydrant and a small garbage can (well that's what I think anyways). It had two activated charcoal filters in the lid that absorb odors. I was so excited to use it and it filled up pretty quickly with my kitchen scraps. Who knew I had so much kitchen scraps to compost?! It didn't take long to see little fruit flies all over in my flat. And it stunk bad. I had second thoughts then. But I refused to give up and read that I needed some dry materials so I placed some shredded newspapers in it. I think I tried a few more times before I gave up altogether because things just weren't working out. I even thought that perhaps I should try worm composting, but did not like the idea of worms escaping and roaming freely around (they like the dark and their ecosystem so that won't happen as I found out). But back then, I knew very little of composting and in truth, probably wasn't as dedicated to learn as I do now.

Flash forward a few years later and here I am with my wonderful friend, Jenn, again. Our separate travels in Europe has made us more aware of the environment we live and how we can do our part. Of all countries, Germany was an eye opener as they have a composting bin as part of their waste pick-up. So being back on Canadian soil and armed with our new found experiences, we both wanted to make composting as part of our daily routine. Luckily, there was a great composting class offered by the City of Edmonton at the John Janzen Nature Centre for $10. Mark and Megan were so passionate about composting and were very knowledgeable. We learnt what kinds of materials we can compost, how composting works, what are the different ways to compost, and what composts are out there. For anyone new to composting, the class was worth going to. It was 2 hours long and they even showed us all the composts that are on site.

Since I was still researching some possible composters to purchase, I used one of the ways they mentioned to compost - trench compost. You basically dig a trench into the soil and put some organic materials in there. You would cover each layer with the dug up soil and you do this until it get full. The trench compost was full in less than a week's time but it was enough time for me to figure out which compost to get. So what did I get? Well I was eyeing this one for a while, it's a dual-batch rolling composter! Unlike most composters, this one has 2 chambers built in. This way when one side is processing; you can start to fill the other side. It's convenient in that you don't have to find a way to store your organic waste elsewhere while the compost is doing it's thing. I got the compost at Canadian Tire but you can also get it from Home Depot or Lee Valley. Jenn, on the other had, was so creative and made her own compost bin. She needed a bigger one with a family of 6. Hopefully, I can convince her to write a post on what she did :)

As for me, I was well on my way to composting after putting my compost together. It took me about 1 hour on my own and it was pretty easy to do; just a lot of screws to twist. So what do we need to get this compost? Some of the important stuff I learnt was that you need Greens (e.g. veggie scraps and ground coffee - fresh materials), Browns (e.g. dead leaves and coffee filters - dry dead materials), Water and Air.

For beginners, a 50/50 rule for Greens and Browns is a good starting point. With all the leaves starting to fall, I raked up my leaves and then stored them in a bag. So whenever I needed some browns, I had some right there. You can also use your shredded documents as long as there's no glossy paper in there. Then I added the kitchen scraps. A thing about Greens, for a beginner, it's best to leave out the meat, dairy, diseased plants and heck even feces until you get a better understanding of composting. One can compost human waste but that's another thing that I may be willing to try down the road ... maybe. To continue, add some water so that it's moist but not drenching wet. Water is needed for our little friends - the micro-organisms - to live and do it's thing. You also need air for the organic matter to decompose and for the odour. If you ever find your composting stinking away, just make sure you rotate your tumbler or mix the organic matter in your compost. Luckily, my compost has air pockets all over the place so hopefully that means I won't be expecting any odours any time soon.

I also added something called, Bokashi. This bag of "fermented organic matter" and is usually "comprised of wheat bran, molasses and microorganism." I used it to help the process of the composting. It's also useful for odour so you can mix it into your pet's litter box. Mark also said that you can do a Bokashi Compost during the winter months when and if your compost is full. You would basically need to sprinkle some bokashi into the container where you are storing your organic material. You can get the Bokashi at the Earth's General Store.

In case I forget, place your compost in a sunny area. It needs heat to decompose and process the compost - that's why you may notice that some composters are black in colour to absorb the heat even in winter. The great thing with Edmonton is that even during winter months, we do get lots of sun despite being bloodly cold at times. And also ensure that you turn the compost about every 4 days to get some air.

Hopefully this helps you get started with your own compost without being too overwhelming. There's some awesome information out there and from the class I would dearly like to share but it can be information overload. And as Mark and Megan mentioned during the class - If it doesn't work, just try again. You'll eventually figure out what works for you.