Composting is an art and a science. It’s predictable but takes practice. It’s nature’s way of recycling high-quality matter to help nourish new life in a garden, lawn, or farm. As part of Kavod House’s Greening the House focus, we have recently started composting using a black Earth Machine bin located behind the house against the fence on the north side of the parking lot.
Here is a quick how-to on composting at Kavod House:
WHEN TO COMPOST?
* Events at Kavod House
* Living at Kavod House* If you don’t live at Kavod, we encourage you to get your own compost bin (ours fills up very quickly!). You can support your local shop and buy a compost bin for only $50 at the Boston Building Materials Co-op in Roxbury. http://www.bbmc.com/bbmc/prod_green.html
WHAT TO COMPOST?
!!! YES !!!
* plant cuttings
* fruit scaps
* vegetable scraps
* bread & grains
* coffee grounds
* tea bags
* egg shells
* old potting soil
* food-soiled paper (napkins, paper towels)xxx NO xxx
* dairy products
* fats or oils
* fish scraps
* meat scraps
* grease
* charcoal ash
* non-organic materials
HOW TO MAINTAIN?
* Take out Tupperware when full or at least every three days
* Clean Tupperware every few weeks by putting in dishwasher
* For problems, see troubleshooting tips below.
TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS:
When the pile smells…
1. Mix pile using shovel to aerate
2. Add brown matter in small pieces such as dry leaves or torn-up paper bag
When the pile isn’t turning from plant matter to compost/isn’t getting smaller…
1. Mix pile using shovel to aerate and water when mixing the pile
2. Add green matter in small pieces such as greens or kitchen scraps