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Although we have been cold composting for several years now, I did not fully venture into producing large quantities of hot compost. I assumed that it was a huge time commitment and a hassle. However, my perspective changed as I got inspired by posts in garden groups. and watching several regenerative farming videos. It was fascinating to learn that homemade compost is made with the help of micro flora, fungi and bacteria in my immediate environment. Similar to consuming local honey for the best immunity, home made soil must have similar benefits too. This got me started on the journey of serious composting.
I wanted a portable, neat looking solution, that did not cost an arm and leg. After reading wonderful reviews I decided to go in for the GeoBin for the ease of setup and take down, and the configurability on the width of the bin. It was super easy to setup and it costed me around $35.
Since winter was fast approaching, I choose the sunniest spot in the yard to setup the bin. I loaded it up with greens and browns and invested in the ReoTemp compost thermometer. It’s a bit pricey but worth it, as I leave it out in the pile at all times. The hermetic seal is super tight.
I experienced classic newbie composting issues. I could not get the pile to heat up. The pile never heated beyond 90 deg and some times dropped to 80’s. I found it a bit hard to turn the pile but managed to do that a few times in the past several months. That did help heating up the pile back to the 90’s. Later I learned that leaves take longer to decompose and should have handled it separately. Regardless, by April the materials were fairly well composted with just a few leaves visible. Fluffy, earthy, wormy compost was ready! I did not realize how happy a compost pile would make me. It felt like I hit a gold mine in my backyard! With the stay-home situation and not many options to have high quality compost delivered to home, compost in the backyard is truly a blessing!
Taking lessons from my first compost pile, I have moved the location of the bin to a more convenient location that will help with turning the pile more often. This time, the pile is made of grass clippings, vegetable and fruit peels, spent winter plants, Amazon delivery boxes, some saved up brown leaves and some compost as a starter. The pile is filled half way through. and with the sun’s heat the compost should get cooking faster.
I feel good about making compost in my backyard, and slowly removing my dependency on mass manufactured compost. Apart from the benefits of reduced carbon footprint, reduced wastage etc, the important factor for me was that the diverse microbes breaking down the composting material are the ones found in my immediate environment.
By controlling what goes in the making of the compost, I know what’s nourishing my soil that feeds the plants. I am so glad to have tried this out. It’s not as hard as it sounds, and is easily manageable even for an urban gardener.
