The composter in the above picture sat in my back yard for years…empty. I was concerned the rotting vegetation would cause a bad odor and offend the neighbors. This year, after once again reading about the benefits of compost, I decided to give it a try. Oh my! After a week or two of tweaking the additions I made, I finally had something that had only a smell of the humus beneath the trees in the woods.
I am surprised at my diligence where the compost is concerned. Rain, shine, cold or heat, I turn it every day or two. I have found it easy to read the condition of the compost. When it is slimy, I add black and white newspaper pages. When it seems dry, I wet it down a bit. I daily try to add a mix of vegetation from my garden, grass clippings, dried leaves and leftover kitchen scraps. I am so caught up in making “black gold,” I have begun a second composter in a Rubbermaid trash can. In April, I should be able to reap the rewards of my first container. Onward with the composting.
