My family and friends have heard me say that my favorite day of the year is Thanksgiving Day and that my second to favorite day is when I harvest compost. Throughout that day I am in awe. I’ll share four elements of composting.
In the kitchen immediately by the sink is our stainless steel recycling bucket. Its lid has two separate filters which effectively keep all odors from escaping the bucket. We send practically nothing of food scraps down the drain.
Our compost pile is behind the garage, out of sight. It is surrounded on three sides by wire fencing. I like the open side for easy turning of the pile. In the photo I see tomatoes, grille ash, a newspaper, watermelon rind, egg shells, garden trimmings, a couple of corn cobs and I think several squash. I gather leaves from the neighbors in the fall, keeping a number of the bagfuls ready for topping the fresh stuff that’s thrown on the pile. I often throw garden dirt on top also, to discourage possums and raccoons.
In order to keep the pile heavily damp somewhat like a sponge, I use water from the barrel that receives rain from the garage roof. I turn the pile as often as I can in order to make it a hot pile, in contrast to the cold compost pile that is not turned.
Yesterday I harvested one wheelbarrow of mulch. I will likely lift about another three or four wheelbarrow loads today. I expect there will be a dozen to twenty loads in this year’s harvest. There is always a welcomed place for worm-intense compost throughout our property. Come October I’ll begin the pile for next year.I am in awe of the transformation of refuse into rich resource, a transformation that leads my mind to think of our own spiritual renewals. That’s why I enjoy compost harvest so very much.
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