Sharing my very simple 'Aerobic' method of composting in the corner of my little green patch.
I remember Mum being a huge champion of composting since ages... I even remember, when ever she visited my B'luru home, she'd be very happy and excited to see my little balcony garden, especially the vegetables I managed to grow in those handkerchief-sized balconies... But, what she always insisted on 'Composting'. Many-a-time she's even set up a small composting process in a corner of the balcony but, for various reasons, my composting journey never took off... Now, when I look back, I feel, my gardening and growing vegetables may have been pretty inspired, but maybe my priorities were different, my support system was different, I wasn't determined enough... But now, the years have taught me a lot, my inspired moments have taken on a magical quality, I don't look for support systems but have chosen to become my own hero, the queen of my little green patch, for whom, the most important prerequisite of being a queen is to be returning to the earth what the earth gifts so selflessly...
And how could I not quote my favourite from Bette Midler ?
"My whole life has been spent waiting for an epiphany, a manifestation of God's presence, the kind of transcendent, magical experience that lets you
see your place in the big picture. And that is what I had with my first compost heap. I love compost and I believe that composting can save not the entire world, but a good portion of it."
And much like Bette Midler, harvesting my very first pile of compost was indeed a MAGICAL experience... It was sheer bliss to revel in the rich moist scent of fresh compost...! I am so glad I am able to add vital richness to the soil in which I grow my vegetables. I'm excited that it is this pure 'Home-made' nutrition that's adding that fresh and scrumptious zing to my vegetables and not those easily available, super tempting chemical nutrients.
Folks, the word “Composting” may sound intimidating at first, as it did to me, despite having a mum who composted since the time I can remember. But, since the time I made up my mind and was determined, it hardly took me a few days to get used to the whole process... and after that it was nothing but smooth sailing...!
Mum of course has been my original inspiration for both my vegetable gardening and composting... I've been looking up loads of informative composting sites on the internet for long and very luckily stumbled on 'Vani Murthy' on FB whose composting and terrace gardening posts too proved inspiring ! To me, Vani Murthy is and will always be the 'Queen of Composting'. A couple of months back, I discovered this wonderfully supportive and motivating group called- OTG 'Organic Terrace Gardening'. The treasure-trove of tips and the fabulous bunch of hard working fellow-gardeners out there have surely been a great help. And not to forget my new-found friend Uma Shashikant, (All thanks to my dear friend Radha Natrajan S, through whom I connected with Uma !) who's fighting a super inspiring battle to keep her vegetables thriving in her matchbox-sized highrise Mumbai balcony. Uma recently posted a write up and swept away every fear a layman could have about 'Composting'. Her write up emboldened me to go ahead and reveal my composting that's been happening in the background. The composting that's probably been overshadowed by the bright and fresh green pictures of the vegetables from my little green patch... I feel it's time I showcased my easy peasy 'Composting' star.
That's one portion of the wet waste (Cauliflower in this case) generated on my kitchen counter. Most wet waste like vegetable peels, stems/stalks/roots, tea leaves, cooked food left overs (A limited portion) go into the compost bin.
I chop large portions of vegetable waste into small bit for better break-down. I don't put non-vegetarian waste, raw or cooked as they could attract cockroaches/rats.
The vessel that I keep aside to collect the wet waste for the day ready to make the trip to the corner of the balcony and get royally dumped into the compost bin...
Open
the bin and you'll be in for a surprise...! Except for a couple of
fruit flies nothing else, no swarms of fruit flies flying in your face,
and especially no assault of stink that most people associate composting
bins with... What greets you is the pretty sight of yellow/ochre dry
neem leaves, the layer 'Browns' which I add after every time I toss in
some wet waste 'Greens' from my kitchen. I try to keep the amount of 'Greens' and 'Browns' as balanced as I can.
For my composting I have used a large paint pail. I've made a hole at the bottom for drainage if needed. I've cut out a series of small ventilators at the top. I use an old unused 'Parath/Steel atta-kneading trough' as a lid and that's it...!
Time
to turn the layers of compost over. I do it once in every four/five
days. This helps whatever micro-organisms that are working in your
compost work better.
And boy, when I turn it over, it's a lovely sight. I'm so excited to see my 'Greens' and 'Browns' getting successfully broken down and getting converted into rich Compost'...!!
And what about the 'Smell'? I bet you, 'Smell' is not the word you'd ever associate with composting compost...! It's a lovely wet and warm aroma like the 'soil after the first rain'
Here's one lovely scoop of my in-the-successful-process compost...!
That's the layer of wet waste/'greens' generated from my little green patch...
If
you recall spying a small container with something white in it, here in
this picture you'll notice it being added into the bin. This is our
very own, humble and tasty buttermilk !
Out of my composting experience I found adding buttermilk once in a while instead of water to maintain the moisture level has proved better for me. I've found it also helps better in the 'breaking-down' process...
And
there goes my layer of 'Browns'... Dry Neem leaves in this case, which I
collect by the bagful from my friends house. Apart from this, for my
'Browns' I collect all the dry leaves from the African tulip tree
growing in front of my house.
I don't add newspaper or other paper and cardboard, 'cause I use almost all of that for craft projects at home and with my kids at school. Fortunately I am able to collect enough dry leaves for my 'Browns'
And
voila ! There I close my compost bin, and use it as a convenient stand
to place one of my containers of Palak. No one visiting my little green
patch has ever suspected it to be a 'Compost Bin'...!!
The other two earthen pots in which I compost.
And this is how my composting corner looks... :)
And this is how my composting corner looks... :)
A batch of almost done compost.
A batch of almost done compost, airing for about half a day.
The most beautiful and sweet smelling fine powdery compost... :)
And there's Disco, giving me company...
Doesn't this look stunning !?!
For the wet waste that our family of three (most of the times two) generate, I am able to harvest a basketful of compost once in every three months.
And folks I hope, my little effort makes you go- “Composting...? Wow man, it's so simple...!! What was I waiting for...?”
I remember Mum being a huge champion of composting since ages... I even remember, when ever she visited my B'luru home, she'd be very happy and excited to see my little balcony garden, especially the vegetables I managed to grow in those handkerchief-sized balconies... But, what she always insisted on 'Composting'. Many-a-time she's even set up a small composting process in a corner of the balcony but, for various reasons, my composting journey never took off... Now, when I look back, I feel, my gardening and growing vegetables may have been pretty inspired, but maybe my priorities were different, my support system was different, I wasn't determined enough... But now, the years have taught me a lot, my inspired moments have taken on a magical quality, I don't look for support systems but have chosen to become my own hero, the queen of my little green patch, for whom, the most important prerequisite of being a queen is to be returning to the earth what the earth gifts so selflessly...
And how could I not quote my favourite from Bette Midler ?
"My whole life has been spent waiting for an epiphany, a manifestation of God's presence, the kind of transcendent, magical experience that lets you
see your place in the big picture. And that is what I had with my first compost heap. I love compost and I believe that composting can save not the entire world, but a good portion of it."
And much like Bette Midler, harvesting my very first pile of compost was indeed a MAGICAL experience... It was sheer bliss to revel in the rich moist scent of fresh compost...! I am so glad I am able to add vital richness to the soil in which I grow my vegetables. I'm excited that it is this pure 'Home-made' nutrition that's adding that fresh and scrumptious zing to my vegetables and not those easily available, super tempting chemical nutrients.
Folks, the word “Composting” may sound intimidating at first, as it did to me, despite having a mum who composted since the time I can remember. But, since the time I made up my mind and was determined, it hardly took me a few days to get used to the whole process... and after that it was nothing but smooth sailing...!
Mum of course has been my original inspiration for both my vegetable gardening and composting... I've been looking up loads of informative composting sites on the internet for long and very luckily stumbled on 'Vani Murthy' on FB whose composting and terrace gardening posts too proved inspiring ! To me, Vani Murthy is and will always be the 'Queen of Composting'. A couple of months back, I discovered this wonderfully supportive and motivating group called- OTG 'Organic Terrace Gardening'. The treasure-trove of tips and the fabulous bunch of hard working fellow-gardeners out there have surely been a great help. And not to forget my new-found friend Uma Shashikant, (All thanks to my dear friend Radha Natrajan S, through whom I connected with Uma !) who's fighting a super inspiring battle to keep her vegetables thriving in her matchbox-sized highrise Mumbai balcony. Uma recently posted a write up and swept away every fear a layman could have about 'Composting'. Her write up emboldened me to go ahead and reveal my composting that's been happening in the background. The composting that's probably been overshadowed by the bright and fresh green pictures of the vegetables from my little green patch... I feel it's time I showcased my easy peasy 'Composting' star.
That's one portion of the wet waste (Cauliflower in this case) generated on my kitchen counter. Most wet waste like vegetable peels, stems/stalks/roots, tea leaves, cooked food left overs (A limited portion) go into the compost bin.
I chop large portions of vegetable waste into small bit for better break-down. I don't put non-vegetarian waste, raw or cooked as they could attract cockroaches/rats.
The vessel that I keep aside to collect the wet waste for the day ready to make the trip to the corner of the balcony and get royally dumped into the compost bin...
For my composting I have used a large paint pail. I've made a hole at the bottom for drainage if needed. I've cut out a series of small ventilators at the top. I use an old unused 'Parath/Steel atta-kneading trough' as a lid and that's it...!
And boy, when I turn it over, it's a lovely sight. I'm so excited to see my 'Greens' and 'Browns' getting successfully broken down and getting converted into rich Compost'...!!
And what about the 'Smell'? I bet you, 'Smell' is not the word you'd ever associate with composting compost...! It's a lovely wet and warm aroma like the 'soil after the first rain'
Out of my composting experience I found adding buttermilk once in a while instead of water to maintain the moisture level has proved better for me. I've found it also helps better in the 'breaking-down' process...
I don't add newspaper or other paper and cardboard, 'cause I use almost all of that for craft projects at home and with my kids at school. Fortunately I am able to collect enough dry leaves for my 'Browns'
For the wet waste that our family of three (most of the times two) generate, I am able to harvest a basketful of compost once in every three months.
And folks I hope, my little effort makes you go- “Composting...? Wow man, it's so simple...!! What was I waiting for...?”
Hi Varsha, in what ratio do you add the green and brown matter?
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