BYG: Composting

left | Backyard Composting           right | Worms Eat My Garbage

I had a very productive weekend.  The weather hit 70 on Sunday so I took advantage of it and got a few things set up in the yard.  The worst part about moving is having to start all over again, but I have a much better yard this time, and I'm really looking forward to it. 

I finally have enough space for a large compost bin.  My previous yard was too small and we got a notice every time we moved something outside of the fenced yard.  Composting is fairly easy and really important for any gardener.  It is basically fertilizer that is nutrient rich, chemical free, and made with your food and yard waste.   

Even if you don't have a yard, composting on a smaller level will feed your indoor plants and windowsill herb gardens.  It keeps waste out of the landfill and is a good 4(for) green acres practice.     

My bin is still a work in progress.  I kept my pumpkins from Halloween because I knew I would be starting my bin soon.  I've started with a mix of green and brown material.  I need to work on breaking it up a little more to get the process moving quicker, but eventually it will look like this:

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Starting to compost is easy.  There are tons of resources out there, but two of my favorites are pictured above.  While teaching environmental science I ran across these two books and they are truly helpful for the novice composter.  Oh, and I have actually kept a worm compost bin in the house.  It keeps the smell down.

Do you compost already?