Backyard composting

We'll be better prepared to reduce garbage pickups to once weekly when people divert organic material from landfill . . . and there are so many benefits to backyard composting . . . including curbing global warming.

The global warming connection to composting is about methane avoidance. Landfills generate methane which escapes very inefficient collection systems. Methane is 23x more powerful a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide!

So, when we compost material in our own backyards, we're reducing methane. And we're also putting nutrients back into the soil where they belong.

I am interested in composting, but never took the next steps to actually start a compost. My concern was in the attraction of rodents - how do we set up a compost that can avoid rodents? Or is this an unfounded fear?

What an honor and surprise to receive your response here; the very first!

Rodents are a legitimate concern, Suzanne. I've experienced the problem. By promoting composting in Lake Worth, we certainly don't want to increase health concern. Luckily, there are several compost bin designs which are rodent-proof. Several bins on the market are rodent resistant, but that's not quite the same. Palm Beach County Solid Waste Authority has distributed several thousand rodent resistant compost bins called Earth Machines. I've used them for years and once had a rat problem. What I need to do with the SWA bin is wrap wire mesh underneath.

http://www.earthmachine.com/

If a team of compost experts helped educate city residents about this issue and we provide rodent-proof bins as well as build-your-own designs, then we'd reduce chances of rodents considerably. This would also help raise awareness leading to homes and businesses sealed more tightly against rodents . . . really the best solution.

Cya 'round town!

Thank you for your reply. I am reinspired to start a compost again. I was visiting Alaska a few years ago when I noticed how many people were composting there - it was a natural and effortless way to go green. I will look into the compost bins you mentioned and get started.

A mover and shaker in the city suggested we put the issue of compost toilets in front of the commission. Now that's progressive. Here's a new organization I'm working toward, Sanitation Circle:
http://sanitationcircle.org/

I went through the site for the GreenMachine and was very impressed....I wanted to ask how do you feel about what we did for our house hold. After the mortgage fall out our financials were, well non-existent and it become more of a need to start composting tp grow our own vegetables. With no cash flow to purchase a composter and at the same time the great idea from our city to give us new trash bins we simply converted our old rubbermaid trash bins into composters.

One is stationary and the other has wheels. We drilled holes into the stationary can and set up up on few bricks to ensure proper air flow and it just happened to have a lockable lid. (Thus no worries from rodents and yet to see a bug in it as well) We place all our organic matter into the stationary and as it gets to a certain stage we move it to the one with wheels and when ready for use we just wheel it to the garden or other parts of our yard as needed. With so many out of work these days I was happy to find a solution that cost us nothing because we already had the existing cans.

Also one question in growing vegetables that I'm confused on....as you plant the seed and the plant starts to grow is it really necessary to thin the plants out as suggested on the seed packs?

What a GREAT Site by the way!

Robert