Stephanie Moram

3 ways to Compost Successfully

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3 ways to compost

I do realize that composting with red wigglers is most definitely not for everyone. However, there are alternatives to setting up a worm composting bin.

After my worm composting experience went sour, the thought of having all my food  scraps put in a landfill was unappealing and not an option for me. So, I had to find a solution fast! Mentioning worm composting to my husband again probably would have ended in a divorce.

I was lucky enough to have found a company while living in Wichita, Kansas that composted food waste as well as brush, tree limbs, etc. I was actually pleasantly surprised when the staff informed me that the Walmart and Sam’s club in the area brought all their unsold produce to them to compost. What? Walmart? I am not a Walmart fan, but the thought of them composting made me smile that day!

Now living in Pennsylvania, we found a local farmer that agreed to take our compost weekly. Win win for everyone. Every week we head off to the farmers market to visit farmer Dave, where we exchange our full bin of composting for an empty one to fill for the following week.

Farmer Dave, either feeds the kitchen scraps to his chickens or composts it into a rich, nutritious fertilizer. We do not put any meat, fish, poultry or oils, therefore its a safe feed for his chickens.

Alternatives to worm composting:

Find a Local Farmer

Most farmers would probably be open to a compost exchange program, seeing as it could potentially be feed for their chickens or a healthy fertilizer for their fruits, veggies and plants. All you have to do is put your food scraps in a closed bin in the fridge and transport it to the farm or the farmers market once a week or every two weeks. There have been no problems with the scraps stinking up the joint at our place.

Find a Company that will Compost for You

I am sure there are a few other companies that compost. All you have to do is take the time to look and you could be on your way to composting without worms!

Compost in your backyard

You can either compost right beside your garden or in a wooden or plastic enclosed bin. However, in the winter the temperature cools down which slows down the oxidation rate, that is if you live in a cold climate.

So, the easiest way to compost during the winter is to fill your bin with your kitchen scraps and wait for the spring for it to start decomposing at a faster rate. The center of the compost pile will decompose slowly, because the center is where the heat is.This might not sound like a lot of fun, but at least you saved some space in a landfill.

As you can see, there are a few different routes to take when it comes to composting.

Which route will you take? And of course, the planet will thank you no matter which you choose.

Learn more about composting and gardening:

3 ways to compost

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Comments

  1. Janice says

    Our Regional District has given everyone green bins for their compost which gets picked up every week. On Gabriola Island we are only allowed one bag of garbage every 2 weeks and of course as much recycling as we have every other week. Most of us also have compost bins in our yards.

    • Good Girl Gone Green says

      That is great, Janice. I think cities and town need to start having composting part of the garbage and recycling pick-up every week.When I lived in Guelph, Ontario every week they picked up our clear “green” bags full of food scraps to be composted. And that was 9 years ago. I don’t see why Montreal hasn’t started doing that yet. I love the idea of putting a maximum on how many bags of trash you are allowed.Makes people recycle and compost by default.Thanks for sharing!

  2. Erin says

    Dorval Quebec started organic waste pick up 4 weeks ago… and every driveway in my neighborhood has put it out weekly since! I am so pleased to see this!