one.
Get yourself a bin. Preferably wood or a material that will breathe (this will cut down on the stink). I'm grateful to a friend who gave me this perfect wood box. It's about 3' by 1.5'. In the winter months it is recommended to use plastic bins.
two.
Add organic matter. By organic I mean anything that came out of the dirt with the exception of egg shells.
three.
Give yourself a hug.
four.
Let it stew and do it's thing. Trust me...it will.
five.
Add it to your veggie garden, flower beds, or pots.
helpful hints:
-keep portions small. if you are going to throw a whole potato in there then break it up first with your spade.
- add some dirt (this also keeps the stink down)
- turn it every once in a while. i'm imaging that in the summer months it needs to be turned more often. i've been turning mine every few weeks since november.
- add equal parts yard clippings on top of the kitchen scraps. i.e., dried leaves, grass clippings, twigs, sawdust, straw, oh - even ashes from your fireplace - booya!
- add water as needed or cover (use a tarp) to keep water out as needed. it should be dark and moist to the touch, but not sopping wet. if you are using a lot of kitchen scraps then you shouldn't need to add too much water as the water content in scraps is already high.
- if you can place a container under it to catch extra water or moisture, do it! then use that in combo with the watering for your houseplants.
- it's ready to use when it smells like rich dirt. you know, like a freshly opened bag of potting soil.
- never put fat, oil, or meat in it. this will attract vermin. shudder. i hate that word.
- boost it up a little by adding some fertilizer to it like blood meal.
oh, and if it happens to spontaneously combust then you did something very very wrong. :)
for more info go here.
or here.
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