Table Top Composter - Guest Post Day

Its Blogathon 2011 Guest Post Exchange Day and I am thrilled to have fellow blogger Veronica Del Bianco who writes for ECO-NOLA as my guest today. Veronica is a freelance writer and environmental educator at Audubon Zoo , New Orleans, LA

Desktop Composting

Composting at work seems like an inconvenient and impossible task for anyone that doesn’t work at a farm, dude ranch, botanical garden or zoo.  But the truth is that desktop composting is not only possible, but can cost you nothing and provide entertainment (add worms!), great potting soil, and a happy concience come Earth Day.

All you need is a decomposition column  - an easy project made from three 2-liter bottles that’s from my favorite book that teaches basic scientific inquiry, Bottle Biology.  (It was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation administered by the University of Wisconsin-Madison.)

Snacking on a banana at work because you missed breakfast? Compost the peel!  Enjoy an afternoon tea? Compost the tea bag!  Crossed off the list on the sticky note? Yup, you can compost that paper too.  Throw it in your decomposition column and done.

The small holes made from safety pins allow air to flow while any fruit flies remain inside the column.  Add a few worms, like red wigglers, to help accelerate the decomposition process.

A Decomposition Diversion

Add a cocoon or chrysalis that you find in the ground of your yard to the column, to observe a metamorphosis first-hand.  We once had an office pool going on the hatch date.

Step One - Cut First Bottle

Step Two - Cut Second Bottle

Step 3 -Cut Third Bottle

Assembled, Finished and Composting

Thank you Veronica for showing this. I will be building one of these today! I am really excited about it.

Keeping Chickens - Deep Litter Method

This is one of the best explanations I've found on the deep litter method of keeping chickens. Gardeners are often warned to not put fresh chicken manure in their garden because the nitrogen is way too high. Add to that the warning of not putting freshly cut mulch around their plants because it will "burn" them. In the decomposition process the mulch robs the soil of any nitrogen and causes the plants to whither and die. Chicken manure and wood chips seems like a natural pair for making compost. I personally clean out my chicken coop about once per month and rake all of it out to the chicken yard to break down further. I replace the wood chips/shredded paper in the coop and it keeps it fairly clean for laying. Since we're in an area that has two short vegetable growing seasons (Spring & Fall) I am beginning to prepare the area for Spring of next year with the chicken manure compost. I am currently spreading rabbit manure in my Fall 2010 vegetable garden. The good part about using rabbit manure is that it can be applied fairly fresh and not cause problems. Building up my soil is continuing to be my biggest challenge here, especially with a limited budget and wanting  such a large area developed quickly. I am seeing the benefits on many of my regular landscaping beds as they mature. Organic matter, beneficial insects and micro-organisms take time to build up and balance out. Every time I see new life in my garden I know I'm just one step closer!

Setting Up A Worm Composting Bin

I have had several requests on how to set up a composting worm bin using plastic totes. This is one the easiest and least expensive ways to get started with composting worms. I just found this video and the owner does an excellent job walking you through the process.

I hope this inspires others to start their own worm bin. Too many valuable nutrients are commonly discarded in the trash and down the garbage disposal. Taking these items, breaking them down through a form of composting and adding them back to our own yards builds our soil up and reduces the added bulk that is sent to landfills and such.

If there is one way to easily make a change for Earth Day this is it!

Happy Earth Day 2009!