Jan 14 2010
Composticated
The other day, I went to unite my compost with my sister’s, and discovered that there’s no room at the inn.
Hmm.
It seems that two’s company, and three’s a crowd when it comes to compost, too. So I’ll have to come up with an alternative arrangement. Like either getting old or dying (incredibly, our only choices), neither is all that appealing.
Possibility One: Get my own compost.
Pros: Closer to my house. Less annoying to Megan and Rob when I put in things that don’t belong there, like citrus peels and eggshells. I’m having a hard time training myself not to put things like that in the compost after years of merrily tossing them into my ginormous green bin in Oakland. You could put bones in there, too, which you can’t do here, for fear of marauding animals.
Cons: Gross. And disgusting. Not sure I could convince Rob to deal with it on my behalf, at least not all the time. Did I mention the ick factor? Also, it would almost certainly attract skunks and raccoons, well-known for their mess-making abilities, and possibly bears.
Not loving this option.
Possibility Two: Just throw it in the trash.
Pros: I won’t have to haul it over to Megan’s. No dealing with the hideous bug life in the compost box or shoveling it around, or hoeing it, whatever it takes to maintain it/make it into compost from a big pile of leftovers and assorted ickiness.
I don’t need compost anyway, since my garden is an all you can eat buffet for Lucky and her friends and I won’t be tending flower beds in a gentlewomanly manner. Also I could barely deal with window boxes when I had them. Why is gardening supposed to be fun, when it’s just manicure-destroying dirt with worms and bugs? Gardening, like housecleaning, is an activity best left to the pros.
Cons: My sister claims it makes the garbage extra stinky, and it’s already stinky enough. And you have to pay to dispose of garbage, so why add to that?
Not loving this stinky option, either.
Any suggestions?
7 Responses to “Composticated”
Don’t throw compost in your trash, remember how long it goes before it hits the dump? It’s not like the weekly city pickups! And that would be mean to Rob if he goes to the dump for you. I’d say make a compost further out in the woods, and let nature take its course. Screw turning it or anything fancy, just make a woods pile.
Mwah! -E
Compost! It doesn’t take long to get used to the “icky” factor (okay, maybe a little while) and once you figure out what you’re doing, you’ll be able to minimize bear/rodent/and other furry creatures. I’d recommend avoiding the compost heap at night, when it’s dark. Hate to use the “treehugger” card but dumping it in the trash is the worst option; unless you have an organics pick-up or a facility that converts the waste by-product into energy.
Compostally-yours,
Mike
You’re out of luck Suzy…here’s another vote for composting. All the cool kids are doing it:)
And here’s another vote for composting!!!! When you put on a layer of composting material, if poss put a shovel full of earth on top…..this helps and if it rains or you can put some water on too – now and then – this will help alot. You will have wonderful compost earth to spread on a garden…well, maybe not yours, but a knowledgeable gardener……. NB do no put egg shell in your compost as these will encourage rats!
Poor Suzy, I bet you didn’t expect such a response!!!! Good Luck……
jx
well, we do nothing to our compost, but it isn’t right next to the house either. Surprisingly no racoons or rats thus far. A bear did get into our garbage, but not the compost. Once in a blue moon (and I do mean blue moon) we throw some dirt on top… I don’t actually follow the golden rules of composting because I’m lazy. Plus, I don’t really garden with any sort of enthusiasm, so whether the compost does its thing fast doesn’t bother me. I guess I’m on the compost bandwagon too, just letting you know the lazy can do it and still be semi-lazy because, well, I do.
Or maybe we have less rats and racoons? We certainly have ’em though.
At any rate, throwing it the trash does just continue to add to the already overwhelming trash problem we’ve created.
Uh, I work in the Sustainability Group at my work so you probably know what I’m going to say. 😉 I don’t see anything wrong with Amber’s solution – Lazy Composting. Sounds good to me.
Well, I’ll probably get stuck dumping it in the woods somewhere, which I still think is gross and still think will attract the undesirable element.
Sometimes I miss the halcyon days when a girl could swathe her lovely form in mink and drip with diamonds without feeling guilty. When we’d never heard of dreary places like Iraq, except for archaeological digs. When you could throw out all your garbage and just forget about it. Sigh.