I did it, this weekend I finally did it. I started my own home made composting center!

For about a year now, I’ve been toying with the idea of urban composting. I’ve had conversations with friends about their indoor and outdoor composting experiences, debates over worm vs. no worm systems, done research in identifying the carbon-nitrogen balance, and even consulted a friend at the Brooklyn Composting Project.  After all this conversation and research, a visit to a friend’s house was all I needed to take the final leap.

My friend Andrew recently purchased a home in a poverty-stricken urban area in Philadelphia. By chance, the property was adjacent to two abandoned lots that he has since revived into an inspiring garden. I asked for the tour and was quickly intrigued (maybe slightly jealous?) of his quant urban oasis. He showed me his composting setup, and to my surprise it was simple (far less intimidating that I had imagined). So I picked his brain all afternoon and he sent me home with tips and tricks that built my confidence enough to start composting.
Setting up at home was easy: I drilled a series of holes in a 5-gallon bucket, placed the bucket on top of a milk crate to allow water to properly filter through, and placed a container underneath the bucket to catch the filtered water (This filtered water is full of nutrients that you can use as fertilizer for your other plants!)  I started by popping into my local farmers market and asking the flower lady for her leftover stems she planned on throwing away. I went home, then began layering the bottom of the bucket with the stems, threw in some soil from previously potted plants, some shredded cardboard and dryer lint. As the day progressed, I simply tossed in my food scraps to balance the nitrogen-carbon ratio. 

The benefits of this organic project vary from landfill waste reduction and avoided methane gas release to enhanced soil quality and moisture management. 

If you have the space and time to care for your compost, I encourage you to partake in this science experiment and begin composting at home. The trick to composting is all about balancing nitrogen and carbon ratio. I found the Composting 101 website very helpful in efforts to learn more about this semi-technical balance. 

Look for a part II blog post later this summer when I plan to share my composting truths and triumphs with you all. 

If you have any suggestions, tips and tricks about composting, feel free to share them with the group!