Composting Tip

I have two big compost bins in my backyard (thanks B!). I usually go into my house through the back door, and so when people come over, they see my garden- and my compost bins. Usually the first question is, "What are those?" Which I really like- because I get to explain it and talk about how cool composting is.

Elizabeth Anna from the Two Hands urban gardening program likes to say that Ft. Worth is her Africa- which is a sort of tongue in cheek way of saying there's a lot of opportunity here for education.

In any case, the few other people I know who do compost do a good job of putting grass clippings or fallen leaves into the mix, but kitchen waste somehow doesn't always make it to the compost pile. This used to be a problem for me too....but not anymore.

We got a big mixing bowl and we keep it right next to the sink and close to the cutting board. This way, scraps of veggies, egg shells, etc. go straight into the mixing bowl by the sink (as opposed to in the trash or down a garbage disposal). It stays there until the bowl is pretty full,and then taken out and put into the heap.

The idea is that, this way, you don't have to make a trip to the trash cart (or in West Texas, the alley dumpster) every time you chop a bell pepper. Doing this has really decreased our trash load while making some beautiful compost for the garden. And you can feel good ethically disposing of kitchen waste. Win-Win-Win.