I’ve always wanted a compost pile, and now I finally have one!

When I was a boy, my mom got a composting bin, but we just kind of stuck it in the corner of the yard and put leaves in it, which composts slowly–I was impatient and wanted a hot compost pile that would burn up waste in a short time, turning it into rich mulch. I thought it was so cool that kitchen and yard waste could turn into something useful and do so in such a short time.

At Gerardo’s, I made a soil digester that we put Robert’s dog Kieran’s poop in, since putting dog feces in a regular compost pile can be dangerous if the germs don’t die (this is somewhat controversial in the world of composting, I have learned, so we decided better safe than sorry and made the soil digester).

The soil digester consisted of a big plastic, cylindrically-shaped trash can with the bottom cut out of it stuck into the ground about 3 or 4 feet, leaving just the top (with the lid) peeking out over the surface of the ground.

We then opened the lid and put the dog feces into it, and slowly they were digested by the worms and other soil critters.

This compost bin, however, I made from wire and old wooden posts I found in the corner of our backyard left by a former tenant of the house. I sharpened up the posts and hammered them into the ground around the wire, and then I added our first kitchen waste: coffee grounds and carrot peelings!

Following the directions I found on a website, I then covered these kitchen scraps with old leaves that I raked up. Then I poured some water over the whole thing, since it hasn’t rained in a while, and the compost pile needs to be as moist as a wrung-out sponge.

I’m excited about the compost pile getting hot and turning this waste into nutrient-rich fertilizer!