It's not easy being green...

Like many people, I have a list of 'green' behaviours that I'm working on, one of which has been to start composting veggie waste. So, about a month ago I started my first ever attempt at composting at home. Hooray!

However, it wasn't as easy as I'd hoped... From the beginning I started doing a few important things wrong. I went to a course on composting last year, how could this happen?! Well, I guess having never made the common mistakes myself those important lessons went right over my head.

Firstly, for about two weeks I made sure I was watering the compost every few days. For some reason I honestly thought compost had to be really wet! That is, until it became too sludgy to mix. I was a little confused for a while but after a few moments reflection on my second year microbiology unit the principles of aerobic and anaerobic microbial decomposition started coming back to me... hmmm... no, compost doesn't need to be soaking wet all the time, if it's too wet the whole thing will turn anoxic, whoops! lol. Okay, now I remember, compost actually needs to be dry enough and turned regularly to provide enough oxygen for the microorganisms to do their jobs properly, whilst also being damp enough for the water to be released as steam once the microorganisms start generating heat through all their hard work. I was on track now, or so I thought.

Pretty soon the veggie waste was getting near to the top of my little bin and too difficult to turn with the stick I'd been using so I decided to buy a special compost turning tool from Bunnings. It's a tool that literally winds down into the compost (just like a corkscrew only larger) and with one pull brings all that is down at the bottom up to the top. Vwallah! What a brilliant invention! In only one go I found that some of the waste from our last batch of carrot juice (made four weeks ago) was still in large clumps down at the bottom of the pile, still bright orange and not at all composted. Using a stick to mix it definitely hadn't been good enough. I was in business now! For sure my compost was going to get cranking from here!

And so i continued to be optimistic about my little compost bin until yesterday morning, when I opened the bathroom window for fresh air but all I got was fresh stench! Piieeew! What was wrong now? Compost isn't meant to smell bad... Uh oh... This time I went outside to find a few flies buzzing around the little bin and more bad smells. I was stumped. I'd been doing everything right; mixing thoroughly, not over watering, putting dirt and dried leaves (carbon) in between each layer of veggie waste (nitrogen). I'd even dug the bin 5cm into the ground like the guy at the course suggested in order to avoid bugs or vermin getting into it. Why was it smelly and what could I do to de-smell it? Hmmm... After a quick call to Dad, who's been composting for years, we figured it out. There still wasn't enough oxygen exchange. You see, in my stinginess I didn't buy a proper compost bin, with only two of us in the house and so little veggie waste we didn't need a large expensive compost bin. So instead I bought a tall 20L bucket with a secure lid and simply cut the bottom off.  $8.50 versus $100 plus, brilliant! Well, it could have been more brilliant if I'd thought to drill holes in the sides of the bin before I got started... Instead I've learnt the hard way and currently have rotting veggies instead of compost. lol.

But it's not over yet, I'm determined to succeed. The thought of reducing our household's contribution to methane, created from anaerobic decomposition of organic matter in rubbish dumps, and the added bonus of revitalising our sandy nutrient poor soil for zero dollars is more than enough incentive to keep at this composting thing. Then there's also that little matter of social norms, I can't just say I believe in living sustainably... 

So just like Kermit very poignantly said, "it's not easy being green", but I reckon it sure is worth it :)