Ironically, before my inspiration to live a more simple life, I had never even heard the term “homesteading”. It did not take many trips to the library to come across this ideology, and I, of course, immediately fell head over heals. I read every single book that our library had, and I couldn't wait to get started turning our home into a mini homestead.
One of the topics that was repeated in each book, was composting. This one was a no brainer as I had already started some small scale gardening, and it was something that we could do right away. At this point our chickens were about 5 weeks old, and the poop was starting to pile up... perfect timing. My husband took some leftover lumber and chicken wire from building the coup, and our first compost bin was born. We plan to have a more substantial one built by next spring, but for now this one is working perfectly for our needs.
The information I found on the subject varied from relatively complex to very simple. I ended up taking a trip to our county extension office to get some one on one advice time. It proved to be a very educational excursion, and I left with an armful of instructions on not only composting but many other subjects of interest. Between the knowledge I gained from this literature and from what I read in the library books, I think we may be successfully composting.
Only time will tell if we are doing it wrong, but the system we are using is simple. The most complicated part to date has been remembering what can and cannot go into your compost. To that end I wrote a list of these things and posted it on my fridge. Problem solved. I will attach the list to the bottom of this post. As instructed, we were sure to put our bin where it could get some direct sunlight. We add to the pile daily, and about once every 2 weeks, I literally stir it with a stick. (It is silly I realize, but you would not believe how much pleasure is to be had in the stirring of compost) If it looks dry, I add enough water to just moisten it. So far there is no odor to report, and with each stir it looks more and more like compost. I intend to add stuff to this bin until late fall at which time we hopefully will build our permanent bin, and this one will be left to age for next year's planting. I will immediately report any problems, errors, or complete failures.
Items for Compost
shredded cardboard coffee grounds
corn cobs grass clippings
chicken manure hedge trimmings
newspaper shredded paper
sawdust/wood chips egg shells
tea bags fruit & veggie scraps
woody brush & straw banana peels
Avoid Composting
breads and grains oils
dairy products meats
diseased plants weeds
pet manure (dog/cats)
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