After a busy weekend with out of town family visiting, I accumulated a grocery sack full of melon rinds, apple cores, tomato ends and such for my kitchen compost. I also came across a lovely bunch of slimy grapes in the vegetable drawer- yuck! As I was preparing meals this weekend, I cut the scraps into 2 inch pieces before tossing them into the bag. The bag went into the frig until this afternoon when I had ten minutes to work on my kitchen compost project. Check out these four easy steps to kitchen compost…

Step #1 Chop Scraps

Step #2 Dig Hole

Step #3 Scraps into Hole

Step #4 Fill In Hole

Animals are the ultimate composters. They eat some food, process it, and then return it to the environment to enrich the soil.  Take advantage of Mother Nature’s ways and add variety to your kitchen compost methods by feeding some of your kitchen scraps to your backyard birds.  You will cut down on food waste and provide wild birds with a nice supplement to their usual diet. Use the advice in this post and you’ll see that  kitchen scraps will provide needed nutrition to birds’ diets, attract beautiful song birds to your yard, and help the environment.

Are Kitchen Compost Scraps Good for Wild Birds?

Birds need a variety of food sources for optimal health. Kitchen scraps are a supplement to their usual diet and provide carbs, protein, and fats they need to thrive. This is especially true during the winter season when energy needs are higher and natural food sources may be scarce. Remember, kitchen compost scraps should not be the only food source provided to birds. Provide birds with a good quality birdseed mix and add kitchen scraps as a supplement.

Which Kitchen Scraps are Best for Wild Birds?

Fruits are a great food source for wild birds. Before sending your fruits and vegetable scraps to the kitchen compost, chop up some for the birds. Apples, bananas, berries, grapes, oranges, melons and the seeds of these fruits are wonderful treats for your backyard birds.

Vegetables are a logical kitchen compost scrap to offer birds as well. Leftover veggies such as peas, potatoes, corn, broccoli and all types of beans are good options. Scraps should not contain creamy sauces. Chop up vegetables to bird sized morsels and place on your feeder.

The most common scraps people feed to birds are baked goods such as stale bread and crackers. Break scraps into small pieces. If extremely dried out and hard, you can moisten with a bit of water. Leftover pasta and rice can be fed to wild birds also. Cream sauces and cheeses should be avoided.

How to Feed Birds your Kitchen Compost Scraps

A platform feeder is the perfect option for offering wild birds your kitchen compost scraps. Scraps can be placed on a pie tin on the ground but this is not preferred as you will attract pests, pets, and raccoons quickly. Here are a couple guidelines to practice:

• Place kitchen compost scraps out for the birds in moderation. Spoilage can be an issue if you pile too much up at once especially in the summer.
• Rinse your feeder off as needed to keep the feeder a healthy place for birds to dine.

For More Information

One of my favorite books about backyard birding is The Backyard Bird Feeder’s Bible by Sally Roth. You’ll find this book well organized and full of great information about attracting birds to your yard.

Happy Kitchen Composting,

The Kitchen Compost Queen

Should you use compost bins?  Remember, composting is a natural process. Mother Nature does not use compost bins and you don’t have to either! Bin-less composting can be done in piles and through other methods such as burying, but there are circumstances that merit investing in compost bins.

What is a Compost Bin?

A compost bin is a container of some sort in which a mixture of organic materials are stored to create compost. There are many types of compost bins. Variables such as size, aesthetics, ease of use, and cost are all factors to consider. Bins can be “store bought” or you can make bins yourself.

Do you need a Compost Bin?

Does your neighborhood have particular aesthetic requirements for homeowners that merit use of a bin?

Does the “culture” of your neighborhood require a more manicured and tidy yard? For instance,  you live in an open environment such as on a golf course.

Do you live in a rainy climate?

Do you live in an area with abundant wildlife?  Have you had problems with wildlife invading your trash or compost?

If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, you should consider using compost bins.

Advantages to using Compost Bins

• Some compost bins are insulated and maintain a higher temperature inside which helps the compost process.
• Moisture levels are more easily controlled in a bin.
• Your compost is better contained and easier to keep shaped in the desired pile size of at least 1 cubic yard when in a bin versus when in a pile.

The 3 Most Popular Types of “Store Bought” Compost Bins

Rolling Bins: This is one of my favorites because it just looks like fun! These

compost bins can be ball or cylinder shaped. Once the unit is full, simply roll the bin one to two times per week to aerate and mix the compost. Some units come with stands. New materials cannot be added once the compost process is started. These units are one of the faster methods to achieve finished compost. Rolling bins are available in various sizes and start at $150.

Compost Tumblers: Similar in concept to rolling bins, compost

tumblers make mixing and aerating easy. They are on a stand and have a crank handle that rotates the unit or the unit simply flips over. Once the unit is full and the process has begun, new materials cannot be added. Compost tumblers come in various sizes-just keep in mind the bigger the unit the heavier it will be to turn. Prices range from about $100 to a high of $850 (wow!).

Holding Bins: This type of bin holds the compost in place and does not offer many bells and whistles. The bin may be wire, mesh, wood, or plastic. Less expensive bins will not be movable. Bins may or may not have lids. Completely closed bins will have holes or vents to allow

for air flow. Bins may have a door to allow you to remove the compost from the bottom of the bin. New contents can be added to the holding bin at any time. To speed up the composting process, manual mixing and aerating is required. Unturned, the process can take several months or more.  Prices for the most basic holding bin starts at $30 and prices go up to $400 for more sophisticated units.

Two Unusual Compost Bins

Vermicomposting bins and computerized compost bins are more complicated systems that will be covered in separate posts.

Compost with Pride!

Whichever compost bin you select, remember to compost with pride! Your efforts are reducing the amount of organic waste that ends up in our landfills every day.

Happy Composting,

The Composting Queen

To kitchen compost, you must know the rules of the game. There are a few items that you should not include in your kitchen compost.

The No No List for Kitchen Compost

Never Include in your Kitchen Compost

Fish and fish scraps

Meats and meat scraps

Cheese and dairy items (such as cottage cheese, yogurt, butter, eggs, etc.)

Fats, grease, and oil

Cat and dog feces and kitty litter

Glossy paper and colored paper

Plastic bands, labels, etc. that may be on fruits and vegetables

Why not?

These seven items may throw your kitchen compost out of balance and cause the breakdown process to slow down or stop.  Some of these items will attract undesirable creatures such as maggots, rodents, and other assorted scavengers.  You will also lose friends and neighbors as your compost will smell awful!

Happy Composting,

The Kitchen Compost Queen

Do you remember in elementary school reading about Native Americans teaching the pilgrims to bury dead fish next to plantings of corn? Well, this is a simple and effective kitchen compost method that you can try right now. While I don’t suggest burying dead fish (a bit too smelly!) in your garden, other kitchen scraps are well suited to this kitchen compost method.

Who should try this Compost Method?

If you have a yard, live in an area of the country with soil that is fairly easy to dig, and prefer to dispose of your kitchen scraps frequently then give this method at try. This method is ideal for those of us who need to KISS (Keep It Simple Sweetie). I especially like this method because it requires no special equipment and is suitable for busy folks like me.

The What and How…

Bury scraps such as fruit and vegetable trimmings, egg shells, coffee grounds, and small scraps of paper.  For easier handling and faster decomposition, cut the scraps into pieces (two inches is ideal). You can store the scraps in the refrigerator or freezer until you have the time to get outside and dig.  Avoid items that are on the Kitchen Compost No No List.

Simply keep your shovel handy and when you have a batch of kitchen scraps just head outside and dig a hole. The scraps should be buried at least six inches deep. Pile the soil next to the hole as you dig. Thoroughly cover over the kitchen scraps with the soil from the hole. I randomly bury kitchen scraps in the natural areas of my yard, around my flower beds, and landscaping beds.

Challenges to consider

I have not had a problem with wildlife digging up the scraps. If you do, simply place a flat stone on top of hole after it is filled. You can move the stone after a few days. If you live in a cold winter climate, a challenge for you will be digging in the frozen soil in the dead of winter. Just switch to another composting method until the ground thaws.

Wrap Up

This quick and easy kitchen compost method will improve your soil, send less garbage to the landfill, and improve your love life (well, I’m not so sure about that last one but I bet I got your attention!).

If this post was helpful to you, please pass it on!

Happy Composting,

The Kitchen Compost Queen