I remember as a child having a large pile of scraps in our backyard.  But now, forever and a day since then, I’ve started a compost pile.

I really have little knowledge in the task other than your food rots, you use that rotting food to replenish nutrients in the soil for your current plants/garden, and you reduce waste in landfills.  We have some friends that gave us a nice little bin (basically 4 walls and a roof that sits right on the ground). We throw all our scraps in there and that’s about it. Now, I know from the research I’ve read, you need to turn it and mix around to keep the little buggers in their oxygenated but sometimes I don’t have the time (nor the pregnancy nose to stomach the smell).

There is quite a lot of info if you want to be a very good composter, but for the lazy of us that still want to do some, here are the basics.

Have a designated space to throw waste such as yard waste and kitchen waste. If you can turn or stir or move around occasionally, the better. Foods to avoid throwing into the compost would be dairy, meats, fish, weeds, diseased plants, pet waste (except for chickens), or food peels that may contain pesticides or chemicals.

It’s best to do your compost directly on the ground so that natural organisms can find their way in. Also, it’s best to start with some straw or other similar layer on the bottom (I didn’t do this step!–yes I was incredibly lazy with it). It’s best to rotate layers of  moist and dry ingredients initially, however, I just added items as I had available.

Again, there is a lot of info about composting available. I’ve been a lazy one with it. Anyone else have techniques or things they have used that have been beneficial?