compost in, dirt out

I can't believe how much gets stuffed into garbage bags just to sit in a landfill.  Yes, there is the obvious that simply needs to go in there.  But what about a lot of our food waste?  How many times a day, do I peel fruit, chop vegetables, or even make a pot of coffee?  And parts of these are just thrown away.  This year I started a compost area right in my garden.  I'm too cheap to run out and get one of those fancy compost bins that spin.  (I still want one though) But my garden has many sections that are not currently being used.  So I dedicated one small area.  How hard was it?  I dug a hole... That's it.  Your waiting for the punchline.  Nope.  I just dug a hole.  It is true that there is a recipe for successful compost. But why wait to get it right?  Dig a hole and start to throw stuff in.

What can go in there?  Well, the obvious is fruit peelings, and vegetable trimmings.  How about coffee grounds, even the coffee filters can go in.  Egg shells are nice.  Even though they don't break down as well, they help to keep your compost air rated since they are bulky.  Leaves and twigs can go in, especially if they are dead, this is brown matter.  You can also put in your newspapers.  But shred them first and spread them out before you incorporate them in the mix, otherwise you wind up with one large soggy lump.  The only don't are meat, and animal waste.

Add a little dirt when you throw in a pile of peelings, and give it a little mix now and then.  If it hasn't rained in a while, give your compost a refreshing mist of water.  Your goal is to have a nice mix of green matter (such as veggie peels), brown matter (dead leaves, newspapers), dirt, water (just enough to moisten) light, and air. After a while, you have the best compost in town that you can reuse in your garden to plant more fruit and veggies.  Do you put anything special in your compost?