A Short History On My First Composting Project

Who?
I was the one and only composter in the family back then.

When?
I don’t remember when, but it’s certainly more than a decade ago. It could be 2 decades. I’m not sure. It was way before having Chester and before we renovate our porch.

What?
I compost the usual stuff: kitchen scraps, dried leaves, twigs and newspaper (I cringed at this now; gah toxic ink!).

Where?
My compost bin was located at the corner of the front porch. It’s not shaded, totally open to the sun and rain. The compost bin is an earthenware pot/crock with dragon motifs (also known as tempayan naga). Since it’s an earthenware, I couldn’t make holes on the sides. I used a wood board to cover the top and aerated the compost with a stick from time to time.

Why?
I still remember why I started composting years back. I wanted to save the earth. By composting my own waste, I would lessen the pressure on landfill.

Composting returns composted natural materials back to earth. As a result, we have nutrient-rich soils that delight the plants, which then delights the animals. We enrich the soil, and in return, we receive nutrient-dense food in the form of meat and vegetables. When we compost the animal’s manure, our kitchen scrap and materials from trees and plants, the compost cycle begins again. It’s never-ending actually. It’s as simple as that. We are all connected!

How?
As time goes on, I became less attentive to the compost. The crock started attracting lots of lizards, ants and worms. Opening the compost cover always gave me surprises from these creepy crawlers. The compost also turned wet, gooey and smelly. Not having a clue how to fix my compost, just like that I called it quit one fine day.

Although I failed (OK, gave up) my first ever composting project, I’ve always been on the lookout to find a good opportunity to start again. It’s always about searching for a suitable compost bin and location. And just like that, many years gone without any actions. Well, until recently that is. 😉 It’s not too late. It’s always a good time to begin again!

Continued here.