Using a Kitchen Compost Bin

The idea of  a kitchen compost bin is simple. Rahter that having to make a trip out to your  outdoor compost pile after every meal. You keep a container inside and consolidate  your multiple trips into one a day or one every other day.
The bin can be kept on the kitchen counter or it can be kept under the kitchen sink to keep it out of sight.  you can use anything from a 5 gallon bucket with lid to a metal coffee can to a gallon plastic Ice cream container. Your bin should be big enough to hold a day’s worth of food waste at least.
When filing your kitchen compost bin you should  make sure you  add some newspaper to the bottom of the container  to absorb excess moisture and when  you empty you container you should be sure to clean you contianer after you empty it in the compost pile outdoors

Choosing a Kitchen compost bin

When choosing your kitchen compost bin you need to decide  on what kind of bin  you want . Most compost bins are made of plastic, pottery(glazed ceramics) or metal. Each material has it own advantages and disadvantages.

The most common kitchen compost bin material is plastic. plastic has several advantages. Plastic compost bins are light weight the come in a variety of colors. they are water proof and contain odor well. They also can come with a variety of useful features such as carbon filters to contrl odor and spigots to drain off excess moisture. The disadvantages of plastic compost containers is they can some times be flimsy with hinges that  break after minimal use and some people find plastic containers unattractive. All in all plastic indoor compost bins are a good choice especially when you consider you can  make your own out old recycled plastic bucket with a lid or large plastic food container very inexpensively.

The next possible choice  for a a kitchen compost container is ceramic  or crockery. This is probably one of he most aesthetically pleasing choices  for a compost pail be cause it will look good right out on the counter. The main disadvantages of this kind of compost crock is  they tend to be heavier then the alternatives making it more of a chore  to carry it out to the compost pile and they tend to be more expensive then plastic containers.

The third option for kitchen compost containers is metal.  Metal compost containers come in a variety of colors as well as stainless steel.  They come with handles and can come with carbon filters and they have the advantage of not cracking or shattering like plastic or cermaic containers can. Metal kitchen compost bins do tend to be expensive but they are a good choice especially if thy match you decor and you are keeping them out on the counter.

Conclusion

Composting your kitchen waste is an excellent way to improve you garden soil but it can have it’s draw backs. theese drawbacks include attracting pest , odors and being unsightly. By using  a kitchen compost bin you can minimize these problems and make the composting process more convenient.

So here in a nutshell is how I make “quick” compost.

I make quick compost by using anaerobic composting.  Using this method I can compost my kitchen waste in about 4 weeks with very little time spent doing it on my part.

The first part of the method involves doing some do it yourself bokashi composting. Bokashi composting is basically a Japanese method of fermenting organic matter aka kitchen waste using a mixture of of partially fermented wheat bran in a closed container with a drain. Over the period of 2 weeks the bacteria breakdown the waste and absorb any odor created in the process. The second part of the process involves burying the bokashi compost in your garden or a larger planter box. Most of the material will be broken down in 2 weeks. Just bury your fermented material under 6 – 8 inches of soil sand nature’s clean-up crew will do the rest.

That it is quick and simple way to compost and enrich your garden soil.

For me, gardening is fun. It’s art, exercise and home improvement. That, combined with fresh air and sunshine, makes gardening spiritually liberating. So, refusing to be intimidated by my compost pile, I decided to wing it and make up my own rules.

Rule 1: If it’s disgusting, avoid it.

Real garbage such as wizened vegetables, rotten bananas, and forgotten casseroles with weirdly colored stuff growing on it is disgusting. Don’t use it. Besides, it will draw rats. But some household refuse just seems a darn right shame to throw away. You’ve got to admit that coffee grounds, used tea bags and (rinsed off) egg shells aren’t so bad. In they go. Along with hair, whatever you’ve picked up in the vacuum bag (which probably came in from outside anyway), wood shavings and peanut shells.

And there’s more. All that shredded paper you’ve accumulated in an attempt to avoid ID theft makes a nice, fluffy layer. It’s clean and breaks down quickly. Though you should avoid the addition of used Kleenex, toilet paper and greasy paper towels. Once again, adhering to the disgusting rule. Never use glossy magazines. You don’t know what they put in that ink and all those ads are, frankly, disgusting, interfering as they do with a relaxing perusal of your favorite topic and tempting you to spend your hard earned cash.

Let’s move outdoors. Grass clippings are famously pleasant for scent as well as color and if you let your lawn grow out a bit too high, all the easier to rake up, which is good exercise. Grass is a good source of nitrogen but we were not going to get too scientific here.

Dried garden trimmings in the fall produce a nice layer for your compost. Weeds may not be disgusting, but can be annoying – infuriating sometimes, like the ground ivy that keeps creeping over from next door and makes your lawn look disgusting. So it’s ixnay on weeds. The roots and seeds may not break down.

Another sad waste that aggravates me every fall is all those bags of leaves set out on the curb. Simply dump several bags (the more the merrier) in a heap and run the lawn mower back and forth a few times. Piling the leaves near a wall or fence prevents the shredded leaves from blowing all over the place. You may be surprised that such a huge pile, with a few passes of the mower, is rendered to a few buckets full. You may want to procure additional leaves by snatching up other curbside bags. The neighbors will look askance but wait until they see your garden next year!

Now, it may seem obvious, even to the non-agroscientist, that a heap of dried plant material and coffee grounds won’tmagically turn into the rich compost your garden deserves. So let’s move on to

Rule 2. Some things aren’t as disgusting as others.

Manure produces heat and sets certain chemical reactions in motions. That’s all there is to it. If you’ve ever gone to a country fair, you’ notice that area containing cows, chickens, and horses are not as disgusting as pig sties or dog kennels. The excrement of garbage or meat eaters if a definite no-no as is used cat litter.

You can purchase dried manure or you can be thrifty and scout out your own source. While it may seem like a good idea to follow a parade with a bucket and shovel, your family might not appreciate the ride home in the car. Plus, the professionals who perform that task may resent your intrusion.

Nowadays, what with the big Eat Local movement, everybody sooner or later, runs into a farmer. I like fresh eggs so fell into conversation with my egg man, sang high praises of his eggs and the rural life then deftly segued into my desire to procure some nice, fresh chicken poop. The egg farmer was willing to share his bounty. So, one cold February day, I showed up at his beautiful farm with some heavy duty trash bags and attacked the steaming pile.

Rule 3. Layer, aerate and moisten.

It makes the compost so nice. It’s best to layer the ingredients so borrow you mother-in-law’s pitchfork and have at it. Mix that stuff up. Dump a bucket of water to moisten not saturate than wait a week or so and repeat the process.

Bone meal may be added to the mix for phosphorus, good for flowers and fruit. I have not yet figured out a way to dry bones and grind them up but there is a limit to doing things yourself. Now back to Rule 1.

After the compost heap heats up and aerates, notice how it changes. If it begins to smell disgusting, you’re off track. If the odor reminds you of a walk in an autumn woods, or fresh turned earth in spring, then the process is working as well as it would if you actually knew what you were doing!

If you start in autumn or winter and follow these simple procedures, by early spring, you’ll have a nice pile of dark, fluffy compost.