Well, it's not quite running over, but the compost I had been gathering in my kitchen is plenty to get it started. See, I started with one large "can" to collect kitchen scraps, but that was soon full. So I had to fish through our recycling bin for the original small can I had (you should have seen the look on Morgan's face when he found me rooting through the garbage). And THEN my small can was filled up, so I had to grab a large Tupperware container to continue collecting kitchen scraps.
Now picture me home on Valentine's Day, waiting for Morgan to come home, and in he walks with a dozen red roses, a balloon, a box of chocolates, groceries (to make me fondue), and a homemade compost bin receptacle! What an amazing valentine's day, right? Except, one of those things didn't come into my life on Valentine's Day. It was the compost bin receptacle!! Aww shucks! But I know it's coming because he's already started assembling it in the basement. But today I had no choice but to officially start my bin INDOORS. His bin will allow me to move the bin securely OUTDOORS. I should also mention here that normally I do not desire cut flowers. They die and it's just unnecessary, but when Morgan walked in with a dozen cut roses all I could see was a dozen things to put into my heap!! Once they die. I'm not that crazy.
OK, so here I go to start my trash heap!!
Step one: gather dried leaves. I had intended to walk to a nearby nature path and gather some dried leaves, but much to my delight I found an old abandoned Chinese food restaurant along the way with an abundance of dried leaves. You should have seen the look on the stranger's faces as I gathered up trash from the abandoned restaurant. Not trash - leaves. Dried leaves. Maybe I should have waited until it was dark to do this. While I gathered up leaves, people looked on confused, while the dog dug her nose into....I don't even want to know. I'm pretty sure she fished out a dried turd that I then had to pry from her mouth.
Step two: drill more holes in my bin. I pre-emptively decided I needed more air to my trash heap, so I took out my old trusty drill and drilled more holes. This was a spectacle in itself. Having not used my drill since, maybe 2006, I had to charge the battery. Keep in mind, I have the patience of a....child. I soon realized the spare battery had some charge, and I used that....to drill about 3 holes. So I switched batteries, put the first battery on the charger, drilled another...3 holes when it too ran out of charge. Repeat. I finally had holes drilled all over my trash heap bin.
Step three: FILL. I gathered up all of my items. One whole foods bag of dried leaves. One Godiva bag full of one banana peel and some baby's breadth. OH...that's another story. On my way home from work, I came across the nearby florist throwing out flower scraps. I initially brushed it off and kept walking, but....I. Could. Not. Resist. And so I started stuffing whatever I could into this Godiva bag I was carrying. Why did I have a Godiva bag with a banana peel in it?? Because I brought it home from work to add to my heap. Obsess much?? In a word, yes.
So I gathered up my 2 coffee tins, one Tupperware, a bag of leaves, a Godiva bag of...whatever, and my bin and headed off to the basement.
Step four: LAYER. Brown leaves first. Initially, I felt really kind of embarrassed that I had gathered these leaves off of the ground. But what were my alternatives? My co-worker had offered to give me dried leaves from her heap!? Umm, "no, thanks, we have leaves on long island," I politely replied. On top of the brown leaves I put all the kitchen scraps and then the rest of the dried leaves. This is supposed to keep the smell and the pests out. The holes are supposed to bring air to the heap and keep it....working.
Step five: WAIT. Not forever though. I have to turn it every few days. I will check back this weekend.
I know you all can't wait. I have a good feeling that this will be a long waiting game though. (see previous mention of me having the patience of a child)
Stay tuned!
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