Easy Composting for Apartment Living
If you have a garden, chances are you know a little about composting.
If you have the space, you might even have a compost pile. But what if you are porch/container gardening, particularly if you are in an urban area? If you’re in an apartment especially, you might think there’s no way to have a compost pile. I thought this for quite some time! My husband came up with an easy solution, however: a re-purposed garbage bin.
Steps:
Drill holes in the garbage bin for drainage.
Add one bag of potting soil. (This will give it some weight and substance.)
Fill it up!
Periodically, mix everything with a shovel to aerate.
These can be composted:
Kitchen scraps–all your veggie leftovers, apple cores, banana peels
Egg shells
Coffee grounds and tea leaves/bags
Yard clippings (but be careful if there’s weeds with seeds!)
Dead leaves
Shredded paper (non-glossy)
Newspaper
Natural fibers
These cannot be composted:
Pet waste (herbivore waste is okay, but I won’t go into that here!)
Meat and dairy products (will attract critters)
Anything plastic, metal, or glass
Treated wood
Glossy paper
Tips:
Limit coal from a barbeque.
Limit citrus peels—both coal and citrus peels can throw off the balance of nutrients in your compost.
Keep your compost wet, but not too wet.
This process is for “cold” composting—it will take several months to decompose
Bioplastics will not break down in a home compost bin. They need to be put in an industrial compost.
There’s lots of compostable items out there, like toothbrushes and loofahs, give them a try! If you compost anything like this (also organic fabric), make sure you take out any metal or plastic parts.
Aerating is an important part of the process.
Break anything big up. It will break down faster.
In a home compost, especially in a garbage bin, you’re in for the long game. It could take a year or so to break down. (If you have space, a three-bin system is great. Use one to “feed,” one to “cook,” and one to use.) Once it’s ready, the soil should be rich, dark, and moist. There should not be any individual items visible. It may be that the compost on the bottom of the garbage can is ready before the top. If it works for you, shovel out the usable stuff and let the rest continue to sit.
When it’s ready, plant your seeds, your seedlings, and your transplants! Enjoy that rich soil and let your plants enjoy it too.
Thanks for reading!
💜
Laura
