Illustration by:  N.I

For you faithful readers and friends you have probably gathered by now that I am a tree-hugging, animal loving nature freak.  The older I get and the more I learn the more I change my lifestyle to better serve the preservation of this beautiful world.  I am not only a naturally inclined nature lover but I am a firm believer that I bring God lots of joy by reworking my lifestyle to be a better steward of the world He has given me dominion over.  This includes trash.  Josh and I were able to start recycling in the home we currently reside in.  But we still had trash and I knew I could do better.  Composting is one of those things I wanted to do but didn’t do because I didn’t know how.  I did a little reading and in one of my chosen books on the subject the author said something like “you can’t go wrong when composting.”  I was instantly encouraged.  She went on to say that people can get as obsessed or as lazy about their process and ultimately your compost will turn to dirt.  I decided to challenge this and take the more lazy style of composting by creating a general compost pile in the backyard.  I didn’t even do the layering technique so many compost folk say is required.  I just toss my little bin of goodies at the end of every day or two into my outdoor pile.  I thought it wouldn’t work and I would have to revise my strategy, but upon coming home from a week away my eyes fell upon a gorgeous pile of black earth where my compost once was.  SO STOKED!  So, y’all, get on board!  It’s easy and saves the environment just that much more landfill material.

Illustration by:  sepponet

Here are some simple rules…

Only pitch the “green stuff.”

These are any plant based scraps – anything from spoiled fruits, to potato peelings and even bread and paper.  Egg shells, chicken, and goat droppings, cow manure, dry leaves, tea bags, and coffee grounds are actually safe, good even, to compost. DO NOT put dog turds or meat scraps into your compost.  Although, if you dog is a vegetarian I have a feeling that poo is safe.  It’s really the meat that is the hazard.

Throw it in a pile at a back corner of your yard.

In case it stinks.  If it does, and you can’t stand it, put a layer of paper scraps or dry leaves over the top and that should take care of it.

Watch and wait.

Soon some rich, black dirt will magically replace your garbage.  Talk about some yummy soil for your garden!

There are other more composting methods if you don’t think you could handle the potential eye sore in your yard.  Check out Little House in the Suburbs or The Essential Urban Farmer for more information on different techniques or for fine tuning your compost composition (if you’re a gardener there are different benefits to tossing different morsels in your compost for different plants).

Ta ta for now!

Kaia Calhoun

P.S.  Sorry I don’t remember the name of the book… bad Kaia.

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