Starting to compost - help

[wanderingback]

My city had a great compost program pre-Covid, but it’s been stopped and unfortunately due to budget concerns I don’t think it’ll be coming back anytime soon.

I go through a lot of fruit and veggie scraps so it’s been disheartening throwing them away.

I found a quick tutorial about indoor composting, but not sure I want to go that route. I do have access to a balcony so can also do something outdoors.

Can someone point me to guides and best tips on how to get started? The internet just seems overwhelming, ha.

[dr.girlfriend]

I have one of those rolling barrel composters. It's very easy (half for new, half for stuff that's "cooking"). I wonder how small they make them?

[simpsongal]

Jun 24, 2020 22:04:34 GMT -5 dr.girlfriend said:

I have one of those rolling barrel composters. It's very easy (half for new, half for stuff that's "cooking"). I wonder how small they make them?

Dr G how easy are these to empty? Right now we just have a pile in an open container and we're thinking closed would be better. Do they get funky or attract a lot of flies?

[winecat]

A friend of mine has a small composter in her kitchen. I think it is this one: www.amazon.com/Food-Platinum-Recycler-Kitchen-Container/dp/B06XPQWVLJ

That lead me down a rabbit hole on amazon. There's a good selection of smaller ones tumbler types but you'd need more than one to compost.

What about worm composting? A friend does that and it's pretty cool. It doesn't smell at all.

[Accountingcat]

I compost in a rolling tumbler and an open pile in the yard. I highly recommend reading reddit's composting sub to learn different methods. There are a lot of posts about how to handle an apartment balcony using a plastic bin, trash can, cardboard box, or a real compost bin. The key is keeping a good ratio and you will not have any smells or funk (4 parts brown to 1 part green). If you know what is a brown, a green, and keep airflow then life will be peachy.

[wanderingback]

Jun 25, 2020 8:11:11 GMT -5 winecat said:

A friend of mine has a small composter in her kitchen. I think it is this one: www.amazon.com/Food-Platinum-Recycler-Kitchen-Container/dp/B06XPQWVLJ

That lead me down a rabbit hole on amazon. There's a good selection of smaller ones tumbler types but you'd need more than one to compost.

What about worm composting? A friend does that and it's pretty cool. It doesn't smell at all.

Yes that’s the thing I’m confused about and was looking for help lol.
Do I need worms? Do I need something else?
Yes I already have a small container on my kitchen counter but it fills up so quickly and now that I can’t just store scraps in my freezer weekly till drop off I’m trying to figure out a better option.

But I don’t think I’d heard of the tumbler ones so I’ll look in to that, thanks!

[wanderingback]

Jun 25, 2020 15:10:47 GMT -5 Accountingcat said:

I compost in a rolling tumbler and an open pile in the yard. I highly recommend reading reddit's composting sub to learn different methods. There are a lot of posts about how to handle an apartment balcony using a plastic bin, trash can, cardboard box, or a real compost bin. The key is keeping a good ratio and you will not have any smells or funk (4 parts brown to 1 part green). If you know what is a brown, a green, and keep airflow then life will be peachy.

I’ve only been on reddit a couple of times and it always seemed confusing to me, like I couldn’t follow the threads. Ha. But maybe I was doing something wrong, I’ll try to check them out

[wanderingback]

Jun 24, 2020 22:04:34 GMT -5 dr.girlfriend said:

I have one of those rolling barrel composters. It's very easy (half for new, half for stuff that's "cooking"). I wonder how small they make them?

The balcony is pretty big, maybe 15ft by 15ft, so I could possibly make something like this work.

So all you have to do is just throw your scraps in there and every so often turn it to mix things up?

[winecat]

Jun 25, 2020 17:28:28 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

Jun 25, 2020 8:11:11 GMT -5 winecat said:

A friend of mine has a small composter in her kitchen. I think it is this one: www.amazon.com/Food-Platinum-Recycler-Kitchen-Container/dp/B06XPQWVLJ

That lead me down a rabbit hole on amazon. There's a good selection of smaller ones tumbler types but you'd need more than one to compost.

What about worm composting? A friend does that and it's pretty cool. It doesn't smell at all.

Yes that’s the thing I’m confused about and was looking for help lol.
Do I need worms? Do I need something else?
Yes I already have a small container on my kitchen counter but it fills up so quickly and now that I can’t just store scraps in my freezer weekly till drop off I’m trying to figure out a better option.

But I don’t think I’d heard of the tumbler ones so I’ll look in to that, thanks!

The one I linked on Amazon is a self-contained unit and it's pretty small.  It turns out compost pretty quickly.  It seems really simple.  Probably the simplest.  

You usually need 2 tumblers so you can add fresh material while the other one composts.  You have to balance the types of materials you put in there so that it composts.  

Worms seem pretty easy for veggie scraps only but you'd have to move it indoors in the winter.  You can buy worm composters already built which might be easier with your schedule.  

[wanderingback]

Jun 25, 2020 17:47:59 GMT -5 winecat said:

Jun 25, 2020 17:28:28 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

Yes that’s the thing I’m confused about and was looking for help lol.
Do I need worms? Do I need something else?
Yes I already have a small container on my kitchen counter but it fills up so quickly and now that I can’t just store scraps in my freezer weekly till drop off I’m trying to figure out a better option.

But I don’t think I’d heard of the tumbler ones so I’ll look in to that, thanks!

The one I linked on Amazon is a self-contained unit and it's pretty small.  It turns out compost pretty quickly.  It seems really simple.  Probably the simplest.  

You usually need 2 tumblers so you can add fresh material while the other one composts.  You have to balance the types of materials you put in there so that it composts.  

Worms seem pretty easy for veggie scraps only but you'd have to move it indoors in the winter.  You can buy worm composters already built which might be easier with your schedule.  

Thank you for this explanation!
The one you linked just seems so small! I guess I could buy multiple and find a good place to store them.
When my partner is here he does most of the cooking and pretty much everything is from scratch...he makes a lot of W African and Caribbean inspired meals so sauces with veggies, plus we juice, so end up with a lot of scraps. I think that thing would get filled up in a couple days although we do try to eat/cook as much as we can.

ETA: Ok I read it a little closer and it says it works in 3 hours! Wow....
Thanks again. 

[wanderingback]

winecat, omg it's $700! lol.
Ok I think that option will be out for the moment, I love the helping the environment, but not that much at the moment

[winecat]

wanderingback- I swear that it was in stock and no where near $700 when I looked at it this morning! I never would have suggested a $700 composter during COVID days. (I probably wouldn't have during non-COVID days either.) I think worms might be your best bet because I don't think you have to have yard waste to put in it like you do with other types of composting.

Do you work with anyone who has chickens? They usually love fruit/veg scraps for their chickens. Are there any urban farms near you? They might take it.

[Accountingcat]

Here's some more information for those that don't know how to use reddit.

Newbie Guide
Worm Composting Info - overall vermicomposting is a whole different game and takes some time/money. I would master basic composting first and then move to worms.
Bokashi summary If you want a quick breakdown of compost, most people recommend bokashi and using 5 gallon buckets for a patio. It sounds like this might be best for you if only have kitchen scraps. 
Here's a picture of basic browns & greens. In an apartment you might need to think outside of the box a little to get more browns. Aside from the common cardboard, paper, and paper bags... I'd suggest kleenex, paper towels, dryer lint, cotton balls, certain types of q-tips, hair/fur, etc.


You can balcony compost in a plastic tote like this one. You would just need to drill some holes in it for air flow. Two of these are easy because you can use two at a time (one would cook while you add to the other). There should be no funky smells or issues as long as you are watching ratios. Moisture is also key. Compost should always be wet. If you were to squeeze a handful, 2-3 drops of water coming out is perfect. This is a great, cheap starter option. You basically can't mess these up. Traditional compost heats up to cook so depends to other much you can add and your outdoor temperatures for how quick these work. 

As I posted above I have a plastic tumbler. It works but it is much slower than other methods. I would not recommend them for apartments. Most tumblers are too big, have a learning curve, and what are you going to do with all the compost? I live in an area with a 4 month winter (compost doesn't cook) and I get wagon fulls of compost. I think you'd need a yard in order to use all of that compost.

Also as a beginner, do not buy "compost starter" or other gimmicks like that. If you think you need a starter to get your pile going, use a handful of dirt, warm beer & sugar, bread yeast, mushrooms, etc. There are a lot of natural fungi that most people already have in their house.

Sorry this turned into rambling. Clearly composting is one of my hobbies & I love talking about it. 

[wanderingback]

Jun 26, 2020 10:03:49 GMT -5 Accountingcat said:

Here's some more information for those that don't know how to use reddit.

Newbie Guide
Worm Composting Info - overall vermicomposting is a whole different game and takes some time/money. I would master basic composting first and then move to worms.
Bokashi summary If you want a quick breakdown of compost, most people recommend bokashi and using 5 gallon buckets for a patio. It sounds like this might be best for you if only have kitchen scraps. 
Here's a picture of basic browns & greens. In an apartment you might need to think outside of the box a little to get more browns. Aside from the common cardboard, paper, and paper bags... I'd suggest kleenex, paper towels, dryer lint, cotton balls, certain types of q-tips, hair/fur, etc.


You can balcony compost in a plastic tote like this one. You would just need to drill some holes in it for air flow. Two of these are easy because you can use two at a time (one would cook while you add to the other). There should be no funky smells or issues as long as you are watching ratios. Moisture is also key. Compost should always be wet. If you were to squeeze a handful, 2-3 drops of water coming out is perfect. This is a great, cheap starter option. You basically can't mess these up. Traditional compost heats up to cook so depends to other much you can add and your outdoor temperatures for how quick these work. 

As I posted above I have a plastic tumbler. It works but it is much slower than other methods. I would not recommend them for apartments. Most tumblers are too big, have a learning curve, and what are you going to do with all the compost? I live in an area with a 4 month winter (compost doesn't cook) and I get wagon fulls of compost. I think you'd need a yard in order to use all of that compost.

Also as a beginner, do not buy "compost starter" or other gimmicks like that. If you think you need a starter to get your pile going, use a handful of dirt, warm beer & sugar, bread yeast, mushrooms, etc. There are a lot of natural fungi that most people already have in their house.

Sorry this turned into rambling. Clearly composting is one of my hobbies & I love talking about it. 

This is so helpful thank you!
I’ll review everything soon.
I guess my only concern is browns. Since you mention things like paper towels, etc...I never use those. Haven’t bought paper towels in at least 4 years. So is there really no good way to do composting with mostly fruits and veggies?

[orval]

wanderingback, this is not the "proper" way to compost. But my kid started a compost pot in Cub Scouts with a little bit of dirt, a banana peel, a few dead leaves, egg shell and a small stick. As it turned into nice dirt, I moved it to a bucket. I have it on my deck and add fruit/veggie scraps to it along with eggshells. I do not have a lid on it so it gets rain water. It is a really nice thick mud now. I keep adding to it so there are scraps in there. I have used a bunch in my veggie pots this spring. I occasionally add some to the pots as the summer goes. We use a trowel to stir it up every so often. I has nice fermenting bubbles when you do that.
I don't have a huge amount of scraps and sometimes I just pitch them instead of composte. I looked at getting a turning one from Walmart but I never did it. www.walmart.com/ip/FCMP-Outdoor-IM4000-37-Gal-Dual-Chamber-Tumbling-Composter-Black/20964928

[Accountingcat]

wanderingback , bokashi is going to be your method with only food scraps. Start with this video. 

[boiler717]

Ditto the rec to look into worm composting. You can also see if you have any community gardens that accept composting. In my local FB swap people post their kitchen compost for those with outdoor bins.

[jagar]

Jun 26, 2020 15:05:45 GMT -5 Accountingcat said:

wanderingback , bokashi is going to be your method with only food scraps.

Bokashi is what my brother-in-law does now.  A few years ago, when he started composting, he was maintaining stacks of tubs in the basement, a massive worm colony; my sister is really happy he switched over to bokashi. 

Just a quick advanced notice, their dog LOVES to eat the bokashi and will sometimes run outside after they've mulched with the composting to graze! 

[simpsongal]

I don't think I'm worm composting but there are earthworms in my composting pile, so maybe I am? I don't think my pile generates enough heat, maybe that's why....