The Demo Site

HERE IS "BACKYARD DIGEST'S" FIRST GUEST POST!
MANY, MANY THANKS TO NICK HUTCHINSON.
Will YOU be next? I hope so!

Who would have thought that making compost could be fun?! Our 14-year-old boy appeared to enjoy the process of assembling our compost bin (essentially a large, black, square box that we keep in the yard, made of durable plastic, which includes a lid that can be fastened down and which was given to us by the city of Denver. This style of bin is sometimes known as a "high rise composter"). He also pitched in to help us till a few inches of earth below the bin so as to help introduce the microbes that live in the dirt to the organic material that would be added to it. Since then, every member of our five-person family has been known to add various odds and ends to our scrap bucket (a small green plastic container with a flip-up lid that we keep near the sink and which was provided by Denver Recycles as part of a program to educate our community on the benefits of composting and recycling). We’re definitely glad that our scrap collector includes a charcoal filter in its top – as we create a pretty fecund mish-mash that generally includes items such as banana peels, apple cores, avocado peels, dryer lint, finger nail clippings, dog hair, used paper towels, house plant trimmings and more. It can get a little funky at times, but that's part of life's process and with just a little regular maintenance, the smell can be reduced. It's sometimes amusing to open up the lid and watch a fruit fly come spiraling out as you toss in what will eventually be rich, brown compost for the summer’s herb garden. And we've actually figured out how to eliminate flies and smell (by rinsing all sides of the bucket well after each bin dump). And the end product, compost, has almost no odor, other than the faint aroma of earth and the promise of fresh vegetables and green grass. So, with a little effort and by engaging in a process that has helped us tune into life's cycle of growth and decay, we have saved quite a bit of "garbage" from the landfill. Organic waste does not have to leave your home! If you don't already compost but are interested in learning, just Google it -- there's lots of helpful information on the topic available online.

The following Composting for Dummies article is just one of many helpful links you can find:

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/making-compost-black-gold-for-your-organic-garden.html

Next up for us: Water Harvesting