rot

------------the old method of compost, informal rotting-------------

this is our old way of composting, sometimes called informal. just make a pile of everything that rots, (leave out those meats scraps though, for compost quality, and eggshells too, the raccoons can sniff them out). it doesn't look like much of a pile because it has shrunk considerably. some things take quite a while to break down into compost: corn stalks, straw, grape vines, small branches. we have not yet "harvested" any compost from this pile. i have dug into it to check and there is some good compost mixed in with the aforementioned slow rotting ingredients. there is horse manure in the foreground but the day laborer (that would be moi) hasn't yet mixed it into the other stuff. the whole thing is a bit unsightly.

------------the new improved two bin compost system!---------------

just add plant residue, kitchen scraps, and manure in layers. also, it is enclosed; so the raccoons won't rummage around in it. high class rotting. the idea is to fill one bin with a mixture of carbon (plant stuff) and nitrogen (horse manure)and let it rot. when the first bin is full its contents are shoveled into the next bin, thereby mixing it up and turning it over. the next time that the first bin is full the second should be full of ready-to-use compost. (sez so right in the instructions!)

ok. tech specs. each bin will hold close to a cubic yard. three feet be three feet by three feet. the top covers slide off to the front and halfway back to the rear. the front boards lift out to remove the contents. like the nice blue hue? those are the painted and caulked cedar trim we removed from our house when we replaced the siding with shingles. i scraped off the caulk. here are some plans.