Things found in my compost bin after 3 years

[BWdem4life]

I fully expect a lot of “Well, duh!” responses - just thought it would be an interesting thread for newbie gardeners such as myself.

So, back in 2020 when bottled water and tp were scarce, I decided to learn a bit about gardening. Even bought a few books including one on composting… but I guess some things you really have to learn by doing.

Since I prefer to do things the hard way if at all possible, I made my own bin. It looked kinda like this at first:



That screen in the foreground that I was using to sift dirt got screwed to the front, along with a piece of plywood.

The bin eventually started sinking towards the house with the help of some rats who burrowed under it. (That was after I put wood over the sides which had previously been cardboard behind 2”x4” wire fencing.)

I took off the front panel and turned the pile once, maybe a year after putting it into service. After that, I said “screw it.” Kept adding stuff, including food (some of it was pre-composted with Bokashi bran, but I don’t think the rats really minded.) Needless to say, it reeked. Last fall, after some nudging from my fiance, I finally tossed a bunch of dirt on top of everything and stopped adding food - I now bury the Bokashi stuff elsewhere and let the rest go into the city’s yard waste bin.

So, this spring I’m re-doing the entire side yard. Keeping the bin, but giving it a few upgrades. Here’s what it looks like now:

8” base of blocks added



Wire and wood for the sides, better roof, hopefully rat-proof…?



Now, I think I’ll put hinges on the front this time. Question is, should I leave the plywood on or take it off? There’s a screen behind it. What say ye, DU gardeners?



(I bet this was one disappointed rat…)



Oh, ok, yes, you got sucked in by my title line and you’re about to completely lose all patience with me. So again bear in mind that I didn’t toss this stuff like I was supposed to, and I’m not really sure if my bin is ideal either. Here’s a good representative sample of what I found (plus a few pizza boxes):



I had been told that egg cartons were good… not so much. “Compostable” flatware? Not within 3 years. Bones, no. Pine cones, not really. Pumpkin stems… nah. Pistachio shells nope. Corn cobs, surprisingly no. Maybe if they were cut up and tossed into a food processor? But these are all minor things, compared to the sheer volume of cardboard and paper I pulled out:



I did get a full wheelbarrow of compost-ish soil, so that’s something I guess.

Overall, I’d say if the ban on food in the bin ever gets lifted (in other words, if the apocalypse actually materializes) I’d leave out the paper and cardboard, or at least tear it up into small pieces, and put a lot more green stuff in than I did in the past.