Yesterday I mucked out stalls and clearing out all that poop got me starting to think about my compost heap and I figured I’d write a little bit on it.

Composting is easy. I hate going out on the internet and seeing all these sites about how to compost and they make it sound so damn difficult! Sure,  you can get all the gadgets and this that and the other thing but really just keep an even mix, add water if it’s getting too dry, turn it occasionally and just let it cook. It’ll do it’s own work.

from http://www.ecogloballiving.com

What’s the point of composting? Okay, other than the fact that it’s great for gardens, the other major reason is to stop spending money on “garden soil”, which is pH balanced compost which you can make on your own out of your own grass clippings and left over food waste. (and other things if you have ‘em)

It also keeps stuff out of the land-fill, which you would think “well wouldn’t it just compost there?” Um, not exactly. When it’s in airtight garbage bags, compacted by tons of other garbage bags, with no air or water, all you really get it icky brown fluid in the bottom of a garbage bag….Organic material should make it’s way back into earth, not rot in a bag.

Okay, so what makes up a compost pile? a good mix of “Greens” and “Browns”.

Would you categorize poop as brown or green?  It’s actually green.

Typical green materials are:

Fresh (green) Grass clippings
Fresh manure (horse, chicken, rabbit, cow)
Kitchen scraps (fruit, vegetables, coffee grounds, tea bags)
Weeds
Green leaves
Leftover fruits from the garden

Typical brown materials include:

Brown, dry leaves
Dried grass
Cornstalks (shredded)
Straw
Sawdust
Shredded paper– you know those credit-card offers you shred but you’re still afraid to put in the trash? Put it in your compost pile!

Treat your compost as if it was a pile of money; it actually kind of is!
It provides you with valuable soil that would otherwise cost a pretty penny at the store. It’s what makes your veggie garden grow like mad, saving you a fortune in groceries too. And if you have too many vegetables and can’t eat ‘em all, guess what? It goes back into the compost pile.

If you live in the city, you’ll probably want some type of container for composting instead of an open one. (Mine is literally a pile, that’s it). This can be anything from recycled pallets (which you can paint to look better and not so much of an eyesore) or you can purchase one.  Home depot has some great tumbler composters (so handy for not having to turn your pile manually like I do), and I’m sure pretty much any major garden center is going to have some awesome composters.

Me, I’m all about the free, so if I had contain mine, I’d go with the pallets which you can get for free all over the place.