Compostin' on a Saturday Night!

Hello again CFTer’s! Hazel is back and feeling much better I must say. I hear some of you think I’m absolutely crazy for making homemade soup for myself when I’m sick but, honestly, it gives me something to do while I am feeling down and out. This may also be an insight into my personality. It seems I have to always be doing something. Which leads me to my latest and greatest love--my COMPOSTER. Who knew decaying organic matter could be SO much fun?
I’ve wanted one for quite awhile. I mean with all the cooking and baking I do and with me planning my vegetable garden it makes perfect sense. So, I went to the library and checked out a couple of books. My favorite being “Let it Rot." According to this book the leaves that litter my yard and driveway are Composting GOLD. So when my yard guys came to pick up the leaves and place them into those large yard sacks, I began to see them as really valuable instead of a nuisance. Leaves plus food scraps equals nitrogen rich soil baby!

I get the Composter put together with the help of my oldest son. I hate following directions, but he doesn't so, some how we persevere. You see, I have a pail of rotting food that I have been collecting for 5 days and it’s starting to get pretty FUNKY. I go to get the leaves at the end of the driveway and horror upon horrors! My leaves are gone! Total composting buzz kill! The bags must have gotten picked up at the end of the day on Friday without me noticing. Why o why didn’t I get them from the street? I’m really bummed. So I’m telling all this to my sweet husband and he can see how disappointed I am. I just don’t have enough leaves to get started and I’m not a good waiter. No patience here.

Long story short, crafty and ingenious husband takes our fluffy puppy for a bike ride through the neighborhood. When he gets back he tells me that our neighbor’s 3 doors down have a lovely bag of leaves on their curb. I make him sneak down there with me and we pick them up. It felt so naughty like we were stealing something really valuable. I mean they didn’t want or need those leaves, but still, it was oddly thrilling and fun.
I now have 2 composters going simultaneously. My first batch (second photo) has cooled off and is ready to be spread. The insects that were part of that breaking down process are not for the squeamish. Let me tell you. Really cool though. My 2 boys think I’m mental. Can’t wait to get my earthworms going… on to Vermiculture!