Y'all compost?

[PersonAndStuff]

I got a patio now with a small patch of dirt and some plants and I'm thinking about getting a compost bin going for leaves and other plant remnants. Probably shouldn't go all the way and compost my food leftovers but I don't want to stink up my apartment complex.

 

[Herb Alpert]

I've been doing it for the last 6 months, but It's currently attracting a lot of gnats. I'm afraid of how this will be when heat will come within 2 months.

 

[Westbahnhof]

Slowly but surely, brother.
Can't wait to be nothing but cool, cool earth.

That aside, my parents got a compost bin in the garden. Pretty neat stuff, but I'm not a fan of the stuff crawling around in there.
I personally wouldn't do it in my apartment, seems more like a garden/yard thing.

 

[Pirate Bae]

Ya my parents did it my entire childhood and teenage years. They still do and have a massive compost mound in the backyard for their gardens.

 

[Septimus Prime]

Yeah. What they do around this area is to give each house a tiny trashcan and huge compost and recycle bin, so if you don't do either, you'll probably fill up the trashcan will before garbage day.

And if that's not enough, you can get extra compost and recycle bins for free, but increasing the trashcan size costs a lot.

 

[dasu]

I made it one of my new years resolutions. I have a smaller container for food waste that I take out towards the apartment compost bin every once in a while, and it seems to be working well so far.

 

[Chojin]

I should as soon as I'm dead, I hope... unless I completely become synthetic.

I live in an apartment, not much room or space for a garden. I'll check with the apartments offices if they have a community compost pile, but I don't think so, they don't even have a recycling service here. My folks thankfully on our ten acres in South Dakota compost a LOOOT to make up for it.

 

[Walter White Walker]

I did for a number of years when I lived in a house. I don't now because I'm in an apartment.

 

[Djalminha]

Food leftovers: vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and egg shells won't smell, you cansafely compost those alongside the leaves, and it'll greatly improve the quality of your compost. Just avoid animal leftovers besides eggshells.

 

[SteveWinwood]

Yeah. What they do around this area is to give each house a tiny trashcan and huge compost and recycle bin, so if you don't do either, you'll probably fill up the trashcan will before garbage day.

And if that's not enough, you can get extra compost and recycle bins for free, but increasing the trashcan size costs a lot.

Click to shrink...

now that's smart

 

[bananab]

Three big composters on the deck and a big rolled up area of fencing to break down leaves. Love it and it's always a treat to roll out the trash can at the end of the week and it's practically empty.

 

[scurker]

I built a compost early last year for our newly created garden:

We finished it with mesh wire to keep the compost in, but still allowing for airing of the compost, and the front slats can be moved as you fill/empty the compost out. We basically used cedar fencing and cut it to size. Obviously you don't have to go this complex if you need something smaller. But we've noticed we have a lot less trash going out now that most of our kitchen scraps / yard waste end up back in the compost.

You might could also check to see if any of your local municipalities do composting. We found out that one of the cities nears us composts all the leaves they collect and is free to residents, or a minimal cost if you're a non resident.

 

[Bedlam]

In German cities we have seperate trashcans for bio waste that go to a compost facility (producing fertilizer etc.). My parents did it for their whole life in our garden but I don't have any such space next to my city apartment. I did get the impression recently that some people in the US actually do composting in their apartments? How do you manage the smell and gases?

 

[Blackpuppy]

I'm really lucky in that my apartment building has a community run compost bin in the courtyard.

 

[Mrflood]

Compost via the City program. We didn't at first, but we were kind of forced as garbage only gets picked-up 2x Month and max 4 bags.

After a couple of hot summer weeks with old rotting garbage sitting in the garage, we said "never again".

 

[entremet]

Nope. Apartment life.

 

[shoptroll]

I desperately wish I could. The town I live in has a couple curb-side pickup services, but my building doesn't allow it because of pest concerns due to people not knowing how to recycle properly.

 

[TheMadTitan]

I don't have a yard to compost and I don't think the city has a citywide one.

 

[NekoFever]

Yeah, we've been looking at a bigger bin. The one we have is a small one designed for apartment balconies and since we moved to a house it fills up fast. Apparently our council subsidises composters so we might end up with something larger.

 

[Liam Allen-Miller]

We've been composting for around two years now, just kitchen stuff though. We're in a condo building so there isn't a whole lot of yard.

 

[thefit]

Yes, we have a garden with several raised beds. Apartment though? That's gonna be tough because even leaves will stink when decomposing. From experience the stinkiest food to compost was orange scraps. Smells real bad man.

 

[Pet]

Food leftovers: vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and egg shells won't smell, you cansafely compost those alongside the leaves, and it'll greatly improve the quality of your compost. Just avoid animal leftovers besides eggshells.

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Yep, this. I rinse the egg shells first though.

Otherwise, veggie & fruit scraps and coffee grounds go straight into the dirt, about three inches at least. I bury them in a hole, pile on three to four inches of dirt covering, and put a flat, large rock over it. No problem with animals digging up anything yet. The worms in my backyard take care of everything within two to three weeks, as long as I make sure the area is sufficiently watered.

(We have a relatively large yard and so far, no smell.)

If it's just leaves (like salad leaves), I'll bury it without doing anything else. Otherwise, if it's lots of scraps, I'll mix in dirt before I bury all of it.

 

[Lucreto]

I have one, all non meat items go in, tea bags, banana peels, apple cores etc.

It is literally walking when I open it and I am having trouble keeping it full.

 

[FliX]

Built this bad boy from reclaimed wood last year.
All our uncooked food scraps go in there. Vegetable peels, coffe grinds and such. Some yard waste like leaves and grass but not much.

 

[ɣGammaɣ]

I know a few people, who have this box full of worms in their appartement. You can sit on it too. Didn't notice any smell.

 

[shnurgleton]

Yep, my city has a compost program

 

[RatskyWatsky]

For those who compost, do you have any tips

 

[molnizzle]

No, and I never will. Had some neighbors who did it when I was younger and the smell was unbearable. I can't believe people do that willingly.

 

[FliX]

For those who compost, do you have any tips

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If you put in yard waste either brown (fallen leaves) or green (grass trimmings) you don't want to put in too much or you will drown your compost.
turn it on occasion to mix it.

 

[Boondocks]

Rotten to core here. Make sure your compost is in a far corner of the yard. Fruit flies and flies follow the smell of rotting vegetation.

 

[ZedLilIndPum]

Composting is great! It's like magic. We've gotten some great mulch out of it. We have a backyard though. There are some indoor mulch systems that might work in an apartment setting. If it's working properly then it shouldn't even smell much.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

If you put in yard waste either brown (fallen leaves) or green (grass trimmings) you don't want to put in too much or you will drown your compost.
turn it on occasion to mix it.

Click to shrink...

Can I use ash from wood stove

 

[FliX]

Can I use ash from wood stove

Click to shrink...

It depends. Probably in small quantities

Learn More About Using Ashes In Compost

Since ashes do not contain nitrogen and will not burn plants, they can be useful in the garden. Read this article to learn more about the do's and don'ts of using ashes for plant health.

www.gardeningknowhow.com

 

[Deleted member 8750]

My house came with a compost bin. I've been putting my rabbit's droppings in it. I used to give off heat but now it doesn't. I hope I didn't kill off the bacteria...

 

[Boondocks]

Can I use ash from wood stove

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Not too much, it will raise the pH if you put too much in it. You can spread the ash around any shrubs and trees and in your lawn since it does have potash and phosphates. But rotate all the different areas so the pH of the soil doesn't get too much above 7.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Thanks

 

[PaulloDEC]

I have a compost heap, but it's about 98% grass clippings and 2% kitchen scraps. More of a clippings pile than a compost heap, really.

 

[Zoe]

Heaps are kinda risky with Texas heat.

We finally got a city compost bin which can take a wider range of materials than a residential one can.

 

[Mortemis]

My city provides a composting bin so I don't have to do all that.

 

[Auron Kale]

My condo provided all residents with a little compost pail that we dump into the main bin a couple of weeks ago. It's pretty handy in helping cut down on garbage but I wish both the pail & bin were larger.