A Spring Resolution

This year, the Vernal Equinox was on March 20^th at 12:37 – that was the exact moment when the sun crossed the equator to go north towards the Tropic of Cancer, marking the beginning of spring and end of winter. Glad tidings as this winter has been harsh even in our warm south.

The Eastern Redbud was the first to bloom, then came, almost simultaneously, the dogwoods, forsythia, daffodils and irises. Soon azaleas and tulips will be blazing their color all over the city. The best of all seasons!

Though eco-conscious (we recycle everything – plastic, metal or cardboard, newspapers and magazines and we diligently carry cloth grocery bags to stores), I have been hesitant to start a compost pile. Worried about critters getting into it. And the smell.

I turned to Google for advice. It threw up dozens of articles, tips and videos. From a mere compost heap at the back of the yard to sophisticated drums that cost over $200, there was clearly no one-size-fits-all in composting. But I was assured that I would not have my neighbor bawling at me for the smell nor would there be critters enjoying the buffet.

So… this spring, I am going throw myself into composting.

 

While most articles nonchalantly egged me on to add my kitchen scraps, veggie and fruit peels, Mike McGrath, host of the radio show ‘You Bet Your Garden’ vehemently opposed this point of view. What you need is leaves, he asserted, and if you shred them, you’ll get your compost faster. Collect them in the fall – from your yard, from your neighbor’s yard, from anyone’s yard. You can add spent coffee grounds but that’s about it.

Hmmm…

I picked the cheapest – Geobin for $28 that Amazon delivered in a day! A plug for Geobin: it came as a roll of tough perforated plastic with plastic holders and short instructions (I was impressed that the instructions suggested that I compost the box it came in!). It was easy to snap the holders in place – I added a few plastic ties and voila!

 

I took my Geobin and staked it at the far end of my yard. Though it’s spring, there are plenty of leaves on the ground. I raked 2 barrowsful and threw them into the Geobin. In a spurt of energy, I weeded the veggie raised bed and threw the weeds into the bin.

This is the list of compost-ables I was contemplating before watching Mike’s video:

1. Frozen fruits and vegetables, vegetable and fruit peel (including citrus peel)
2. Egg shells, egg cartons (not Styrofoam)
3. Stale tortilla chips/potato chips, crackers, crumbs (bread or other baked goods), old breakfast cereal, bran (wheat, oat, etc)
4. Stale Halloween candy and old nutrition/protein bars, popcorn kernels (post-popping, the ones that didn’t make it)
5. Coffee grounds, coffee filters, tea bags/loose leaf tea
6. Fish food, dog food, rawhide dog chews
7. Peanut shells, other nut shells (except walnut), pumpkin/sunflower/sesame seeds (chop them to ensure they won’t grow), avocado pits (chop them up so they won’t sprout)
8. Pizza boxes and cereal boxes (shredded first), Toilet paper and paper towel rolls (shredded first)
9. Newspaper, junk mail, Kleenex (including used), cotton balls
10. Dryer lint, dust bunnies, insides of a vacuum bag, contents of your dustpan
11. Toothpicks, Q-tips (not the plastic ones), bamboo skewers, matches
12. Wine corks, sawdust, pencil shavings, fireplace ash (fully extinguished and cooled)
13. Burlap sacks, cotton or wool clothes (cut into strips), old rope
14. Paper towels, paper napkins, paper table cloths, paper plates (not wax- or plastic-coated), crepe paper streamers, holiday wreaths, raffia fibers (wrapping or decoration)
15. Old potpourri, dried flowers, fresh flowers, dead houseplants (or their dropped leaves)
16. Human hair (from a home haircut or saved from the barber shop), toenail clippings, trimmings from an electric razor, pet hair, feathers
17. Domestic bird and bunny droppings

W-e-ll... I may add newspaper, dryer lint and egg shells, but I’m going to hold off on the rest in that list. Watch this space for pictures of my Geobin’s progress!

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