Compost say what??

I know I know we're all down with being "green". You're all for recycling, CFL light bulbs and buying organic, but composting?? Now that's whack. Or so you think. I've been composting for the last 3 years and I LOVE it. Well no I don't love composting but I do love the kick ass soil it creates and the fact that I'm seriously reducing my contribution to landfills. *I also reeeeaalllly love that I feel a little less guilty about tossing produce that I didn't use up fast enough since I'm giving it one last purpose instead of literally trashing it*

So here's how I do it:

1. I use a composting barrel that is slightly elevated off the ground and has a twist off lid. This is the girly way of doing it. You never have to touch your compost this way and it's super easy to aerate it. Also, you don't have to worry about little critters messing with your compost. These barrels are pretty cheap. I see them in the spring at Costco for about $100. I'd also suggest you get a compost thermometer and some compost starter. (I'll explain in a minute) And No, it doesn't smell. Actually mine has zero odor.

2. Ok to compost you gotta put green and brown in your bin. Greens are your nitrogen containing material and browns are carbons. Here's some examples:
GREEN: grass clippings, fruit, veggies, egg shells, coffee grounds
BROWN: Leaves, sawdust, ash, bread. 
NEVER: oil, dairy, cat/dog waste, meat, weeds. 

So do I head out to my compost every day? Hell no. But when I'm cooking a big meal with lots of scraps or cleaning out my fridge or throwing out leftovers, I pile it all into a big bowl and throw it in the compost. My husband adds the yard scraps and leaves. Every time I'm over there I give it a good spin to keep things mixed up.

You want to try to add equal parts of brown and green ingredients. I usually have plenty of brown in mine so I'm constantly trying to add the greens.

3. Once you've got your browns and greens added, you need to let it "cook". This is where everything starts to break down so that you end up with this super rich black soil (awesome for you gardeners!). Sometimes a pile can have a hard time getting started. So I like to use a compost starter. You can find it at most nurseries. It's about $10 bucks and is good for two applications. I typically only need to use it once to start my new compost. It's a gritty little powder that you add about a gallon of water to and pour over your pile. Easy breezy.

Sometimes it can seem like your compost is at a standstill. This can happen. When your compost is in good working order, it gets nice and hot. That's from all the little bacteria breaking shit down in there- creates some heat. So the best way to tell if you are at a plateau is to take the temperature. This nifty little tool lets you know if you are in the hot zone. If you're not, then it tells you how to fix it by either adding fuel, water or by turning your pile.

4. How long till you get this black gold as they say in the biz?? Well it depends on you. Mine takes about 6-9 months.