The high today in Atlanta was twenty-six with a wind chill of two degrees below zero. Brrrrr! I can’t remember EVER being this cold.
Just how cold was it? I think my compost buckets from the week express it best.
On the deck:
And later on the compost pile:
The entire pile was frozen solid so I could not even cover these scraps. I’m heading inside for the rest of the day. Stay warm and be safe.
Jessie S.
February 27, 2015 at 12:43 pm
I just started composting a few months ago and I am loving it! I was curious, how long have you been composting? Any tips for the novice? And also, how long does it take for our leftovers to actually become compost?? Thanks 🙂
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wedigyummy
March 4, 2015 at 10:29 am
Thanks for stopping by. I’ve been composting off and on for nearly twenty years so … my biggest tip is to be patient. The plants you’ve returned to the compost pile did not grow in a few days and they won’t decompose quickly either. There are many factors to take into consideration in decomposition time: size of scraps (the smaller the scrap the quicker it composts), the size of your pile (bigger is better, but too big slows things down), the composition of your pile (browns vs. greens), the location (sun vs. shade) and how “hot” it gets on the inside. There are lots of variables and it can seem complicated, but if you just combine kitchen scraps and yard scraps in about equal amounts, in about six months you’ll be on your way to decent dirt. One book I highly recommend is “The Complete Compost Gardening Guide.” Of course there are lots of articles here to help! Good luck and good composting.
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Jessie S.
March 4, 2015 at 3:29 pm
Thank you so much, this is super helpful information!
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wedigyummy
March 4, 2015 at 6:43 pm
You are welcome! I forgot to mention, check out my February 12 blog post for some info on “greens” and browns.”
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Jessie S.
March 5, 2015 at 11:13 am
Will do!
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