How to Compost Inexpensively and Without Attracting Pests

You have decided to help the environment by starting to compost. Congratulations on your efforts to avoid filling up the landfills and trying to save the earth for the next generation. You can see some of the benefits yourself if you would enjoy a small flower bed, vegetable garden, or nightcrawler bed. Compost can make pretty good fertilizer for your plants. Composting may also reduce your monthly garbage bill since it will likely cut down on the amount of garbage you throw away.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• A plastic gallon ice cream bucket with a tight fitting lid or other similar container with a handle.
• Some ground where you can dig a hole.
• A shovel
• Black ground cover fabric
• Some Rocks larger than a softball
• Optional-seeds, young plants, shrubs, or young trees

1. The next time you finish off a gallon of ice cream, rinse out the container and place it on the kitchen counter.
2. Compost container Place any leftover food that you don't intend to use in the container. Also, place eggshells, fruit skins, rinds, and other biodegradable items in the bucket. Be sure to keep the lid on or you will stink up your kitchen.
3. About once a week, take the container outside to empty it.
4. In your selected composting area, dig a hole with your shovel that is about 12 inches deep. Empty your compost container into the hole. Rinse the container and empty the dirty water into the hole.
5. Rock garden Fill the dirt back into the hole. Place your black ground cover fabric over the hole and put several rocks on top of it.

Tips & Warnings

• You can make your compost area into a small rock garden. If you cut a few holes into the black ground cover fabric, you can plant some seeds or transplant some plants into the ground through the holes. This makes your compost area attractive and fertilizes the plants.
• You can also compost around young trees or flowering shrubs to fertilize them. Dig the hole 12 to 24 inches away from the trunk of the tree. Follow the steps given to bury the compost and keep the pests away.
• Excess salt is not good for the ground, in fact it will prevent plants from growing. Do not throw away unused salt in your compost.