Learning to compost

I've been trying to learn the secret of composting for awhile here. We have had a compost bin going since we moved to Chico, so about 1 year and a half, at this time it has yet to resemble something that I would like to add to my garden. In other words, it's gross...

So this Saturday at the Farmer's Market there was a young woman giving a demonstration on how to make a compost bin. She gave us a nifty little bookmark that says, "brown + green + worms + air + water = compost".

The browns and greens are basically anything that was once organic (brown = leaves, cardboard, straw; green = fruits and veggies, grass, coffee grounds). You don't want to add any kind of dairy or meat because of unknown pathogens that could affect your worms. There needs to be some air and this person basically said that she puts sticks at the bottom of her bin to allow for air flow underneath the compost. Also you don't really need to add much water, but it needs to stay moist because your worms absorb moisture through their skin.

In other words, composting now sounds very simple to me and the key ingredient is the WORMS! So, I know that compost needs worms, but I have found all of two worms in my garden during this past year and a half, so where to find worms? Fortunately we live very close to the Durham Worm Farm where you can buy compost, worm castings, and live worms. I decided to get live worms and let the little buggers do what they do best, eat everything in their surroudings and make compost!!

I also learned that you don't need any fancy composting bins or have to worry about rotating the soil that often. I currently have a trash bin (our original bin) and a smaller storage bin as my compost bins. No need to poke holes in the bottom either, just make sure that if it is raining, cover the bin so the worms don't drown, and if it is hot, take the lid off and cover with cardboard so it can "breathe".

So now you know... =)