Hi guys!! Amanda here and welcome again to Beauty Among Us. I hope that you are doing well and are finding things to occupy your time during these days of quarantine. Who would have thought six months ago that we would be living in quarantine from everyone? All of that aside, I am going to take you on a journey at trying something new for me.
On this journey with me, we are going to learn how to compost…hence the name “A Girl and Her Compost”…I had to come up with something catchy, #wink!! Before we get into the how-to, let me begin with why I wanted to make my first ever compost.
My family, from as long as I can remember, has always had a small garden. Nothing fancy…tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and squash. And usually, we will do a few in pots a little closer to the house. So this year, with everything going on in our world, I decided that there is no better time to try to make my own compost. Many of us are learning to live a more simple and conservative lifestyle. I am learning as I go and will share with you what I have learned, so maybe you will want to join along with me.
Supplies: -Plastic 5 gallon bucket with lid -Chisel or screwdriver plus hammer or a drill -Saved scraps for compost
Being as this is my first time composting, I decided to use supplies that I already had on hand, but don’t let that stop you from getting creative. You can make a compost bin out of many things, (I’ve seen some cool wooden ones) or buy one. They make really awesome ones to use. I’ll post a link to some that I think would be really nice.
The Process:
I started by taking the 5-gallon bucket, the chisel, and hammer and knocked four holes in the lid, five holes on the bottom, and five more holes around the bucket at towards the bottom. You can add a few more holes middle way up. You want a little bit of air to get in it but there is another reason too that I will share a later on.
Now comes the fun part…start putting in the scraps that you have saved. For about two weeks we saved many things to put into our compost bin.
Right Stuff to Compost:
Coffee grounds, brown coffee filters, teabags without any metal, eggshells. Also, you can use fruit and vegetable peelings. You also can throw in the occasional grass clippings, old flowers, pine straw, and fallen leaves. To help add air pockets in the compost, you can add cardboard, which is biodegradable.
Things Not to Use:
It is not a good idea to use meats or dairy products. Also no diseased plants, weeds, or dog/cat waste. These will cause a much-unwanted smell and pests. Those are not good. A few more things not to add would be plastics, metals, or glass.
Continuing the Process:
Now that we have figured out what is good and not so good, let’s start this process. For two weeks we had saved coffee and filters, orange peels, eggshells, old lettuce, and vegetable peels. Once I had my bucket ready, I added all of these things to my new compost bin. I also added some pine straw. You want a good mix of greens and browns in your compost. It’s all about balance.
Another reason for the holes is so that worms, kinda like earthworms, can get in there and help break down your compost. They are there to help the process along. So, because of this, you will want to put your compost bin in a central location in the yard.
Once I put everything into my compost bucket, I put the lid on and rolled it around a few times to kind of get everything mixed up good. You will want to mix the compost up every ten to fourteen days.
Being honest with you guys, I am new at this so I am not sure how long it will take for everything to break down into compost, but I will keep you updated on this journey and hope that you will join along with me and make your own compost. Remember, we are doing this to help our gardens or patio gardens and maybe to help a little with the environment by recycling.
Once the compost is ready, it is now time to add it to your soil around your plants, rather in a pot or a small garden outback. This is a great way to add naturally back to your soil. Now you will know what is going into your soil and plants. I hope that I have encouraged you to step out and try something new this season. Go out and start growing!!!
Blessings always!!! Amanda
