Finally Found a Way to Compost by The Wanted Blog entry

Blog: Raw Food for One
by The Wanted

Finally Found a Way to Compost

How do you compost when you live in an apartment and don't have a car?

Date: 7/16/2009 4:34:54 PM ( 15 y ) ... viewed 3184 times

Well, it's just been bothering me for a long time, especially when I do a lot of JUICING and I get so much vegetable pulp and all, and the garbage disposal thing in my sink definitely does NOT like carrot pulp except in VERY small amounts -- plus what good is that doing anyone if it did?

And then there was the problem with the regular garbage. I recently switched from using plastic kitchen garbage bags to paper grocery bags after learning that good organic food that composts in plastic bags becomes TOXIC. I just couldn't feel good about not only adding more and more plastic to the the landfills, but turning that COULD have been good for the soil in a garden somewhere into toxic waste.

Then I finally figured it out. We are not allowed to garden at my inner-city type apartment complex, but I DO take the bus (partway) and walk (partway) to the community garden nearest where I live nearly every morning. It's only a mile or two away from where I live, and I have one-half of a plot there. I'm not much of a gardener yet as this is my first year and a green thumb doesn't come that easily to me, but I have come to very much enjoy my little trek to the garden each morning before it gets too hot. I especially get up early to go there and "beat the heat" and water the garden and/or do some community service garden work there.

I love it. I have always had walking as my favorite exercise, but have been semi-crippled in my ability to walk the past few years due to inflammation in my ankles and feet. (I have narrowed that down to a problem with eating corn, wheat, pasteurized dairy and refined and processed foods, but I won't go into that too deeply just at the moment.) Now my feet are getting better as my diet improves and I lay off the stuff I should not eat and I am able to walk much more. Being over 50 years old and not getting much exercise the past few years made it harder than ever to get back into the swing of things with exercise, especially since I'm not the type that can exercise just to exercise or go to gyms (not my thing!!!!) -- but if I have a PURPOSE to where I am walking, it's EASY for me.

Before, I used to walk to the store every day that was a mile and a half away. Even though I didn't really need to go to the store every day, it made the trek doable and fun. Now going to the garden is my motivation. In time I will be walking all the way to the garden or back without taking the bus. Perfect.

But back to talking about the compost. Here's what I FINALLY figured out: BUCKETS. Big buckets with LIDS and HANDLES.

I contacted my nearby food co-op to ask for a bucket or two. They have these buckets left over because of the bulk section in the store where there are 35-lb. plastic buckets of such foods as almond butter, sesame butter (tahini), peanut butter and so on. I had heard they had a waiting list for these buckets and thought I might have to wait weeks or months to get one, but as it turned out I got two buckets -- free of charge -- that very day!

This is just perfect for me. I set one atop the other in my kitchen, which makes the top one easier to access without having to bend down really low, and every time I have something good and organic for compost I put it in my bucket. I just got the buckets yesterday and tomorrow morning will probably be my first trip to the garden with my compost bucket!

There is a big compost pile at the community gardens, OR I can start a small compost pile within my own plot. I think I will do this as I am the lazy sort and know in time I will appreciate not having to cart the compost from the big pile. Also, I will have more control over my compost and will be able to water it regularly when I water my garden. Since we are having the biggest drought in decades in the inner city, watering the compost will help it to move along doing what it does.

Then, once I have dumped my compost for the day into my new compost pile I can quickly and easily rinse out the bucket with the garden hose. Viola! Ready for more. (smile) I don't know yet just how often I will take the bucket to the garden in the mornings but I figure I will take it most mornings, as it will be easier to carry the less that is in it. And if something should come up where I end up with more than one bucketful, well, I have that extra bucket and will take two.

Wishing you a day of wonder and awe,

Michele