My sisters and I just rebuilt our old cabin and would like to create flower and veggie gardens...and we want to start composting...what suggestions do you have? It's pretty much a weekend place, so daily maintenance may not work for us...Thanks!
ABS (Twisted Sister 2)
My father started his composting corner on bare earth a few years back, at our lake house. I'm pretty sure it had something to do with a huge pile of autumn leaves that he didn't want to bag up. So, it cost him nothing and he really doesn't do anything special to it. He adds food scraps to it, but nothing that would contain pesticides (ie: some fruit rinds like oranges) and he never adds meat, fish, bones or anything that would attract the animals and no pet manure if you're using it in veggie gardens. After he adds the food scraps he covers it with a layer of dead leaves or straw, and he'll water it occasionally if it's been dry out. I believe he throws a tarp over it before the first snowfall.
I know there's a science to it, and he'd probably tell you more than you wanted to know about the nitrogen and carbon stuff.... but, we call it the "Lazy Man's Compost Pile."
We get the pleasure of turning it once in a while (like a few times a year), but we don't spend too much time with it. (It doesn't stink, like I thought it would!) We take from the bottom of the pile which has really helped replenish the flower garden soil! There's absolutely no daily maintenance to it what-so-ever.
This is my daughter by the compost pile. Note the leaves.... oh yeah, and the fact that she dressed herself that day. (And the pitch fork was only a prop.)