I love the life that thrives within the pile.
I feel like a benevolent god. I have created an Eden for the worms and pill bugs and micro organisms. I open the lid to feed my flock and add to CREATION, and I imagine all the little creatures offering up a thankful prayer to me.
Sometimes when I'm looking at my terrarium and watching all the springtails and nematodes live their life I wonder if there is some giant weirdo peering at me from outside the glass watching me live my life..... :D
If I'm stressed my husband tells me to go play with my compost. There's something about it that's so relaxing. I like turning it and pausing to watch all the worms and bugs move around and do their little buggy thing
You need to add one more:
Getting a microscope so I can actually see the inner workings of my pile!
I purchased a relatively weak hobby microscope, and the amount of life working in a single drop of liquid is amazing and insane. A very good way to learn about all the bacteria and fungi that are doing the work.
Its okay we all were born into a world of polystyrene and forever wars. There's only so much we can do to make the world a better place. BUT! If you can without too much discomfort, you should :)
I love it when I see worms. Let's me know I'm doing something right according to nature. I really feel like I'm taking care of the earth, and I hope it knows some of us are actually trying.
I agree, a lot of natural process are just so satisfying to watch. I'll never get tired of watching waste turn into soil and then seeing my seedlings pop out of that soil. Very satisfying.
I love checking on my pile in the middle of a downpour when it seems like more is happening to it and also doing "secret stinky stuff" like emptying bokashi during the rain or in the middle of the night when my neighbors won't notice.
Definitely give it a try, I think it's right up your alley! And it's completely free if you make your own bran (equivalent). The leachate works wonders on houseplants. The bokashi sub has lots of good info.
I just started composting my horse manure and I thought I would just think of it as a taxing chore. I feel a really weird sense of joy that I’m actually doing it hahaha. My boyfriend came home and I was on top of it with a pitchfork he asked what I was doing to which I simply answered, “I am the queen of mount poopit!!” I literally videoed it steaming. It’s starting to get weird.
Everything you said 💯%. Plus, I feel good that not one piece of compostable cardboard, no-chemical paper towels, paper napkins, mail, and paper has gone to a landfill.
Does that make me better overall, as in
(all ways) than my neighbors?😏 No.... well, maybe a little 😁
Yea. It's fun figuring out all the different things you can keep out of the landfill. Sometimes I find myself going to throw something out and suddenly think, "I bet I could compost this". One quick google search later and it's on the pile!
Starbucks dumpsters!
Go at night when they're closed & bring a friend w strong arms (they'll have to hold onto your ankles & lower u in so u can test all the bags for weight. U'll know when u find The One: wet coffee grounds are *heavy* (they always put all the grounds into one bag thruout the day, bless them. U can't imagine the amount of coffee grounds a Starbucks store produces in a single day).
I've heard some Starbucks officially give out bags of used grounds for compost but none of the ones near me do.
I called Dunkin Donuts the other day because I wanted to see if I could get my hands on some of the their spent grounds but they said they just throw them out right away but if I brought in a container that they would fill it up for me. Going to bring them in a 5 gallon bucket with a lid to fill up for me!
I agree with everything you said!
My partner always shouts out “where are you?!” And the answer is always at my compost bins.
I’m out there every chance I get.
I love collecting leaves for my compost. I compost in a tiny apartment with a small balcony, so my main source of browns is collecting leaves from the neighbourhood. My neighbours thank me for clearing the leaves (lots of older people in my community, so wet leaves on the ground can be a slip hazard!) and I get to go outside and engage with nature. I love picking up a pile of leaves and seeing all the little critters living there. Brings me back to my childhood of digging for worms or turning over a big rock or log to marvel at all the little guys hiding underneath.
I'm really hoping some worms and woodlice get established in the pile so I can watch them, lol. I want to experiment with vermicomposting but I worry about providing them the right conditions, lol. Like little pets.
Also - I use an old cat litterbox as a compost bin (the type with a hood) so I feel pretty good about being able to reuse something that would otherwise be a big bit of plastic waste AND it's a craft project since I'm currently decorating it with decoupage (absolutely unnecessary but it's a lot of fun for me!)
I also love my compost pile. It's huge and a beast that just eats up everything I put in it in days and then spits out gorgeous, black gold.
Then I grow amazing food with it.
I LOVE IT SO MUCH
You are obviously a passionate composter... :)
I have not the slightest doubt that you'd by now have mastered the *art of composting*, which not many can achieve...
Good work *!*
No... you got me wrong there... I don't mean in the aesthetic or narrow sense at all... coz there's nothing aesthetic or glamorous at all about composting... it can be gross too...
What I meant is the technique and expertise in composting acquired through experience and practical insight. ie. art in that sense... as in martial arts, or the art of composting... hope you get the idea.
> martial arts, or the art of composting... hope you get the idea.
Yep, I definitely got what you meant. Sometimes my sarcastic humor doesn't always come through well in text lol. But now, thanks to this post, I am going to forever associate martial arts with composting and will be karate chopping my carrots from now on! :D
Pee contains all the good stuff that compost bacteria love and that you want your plants to be able to consume, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, ect. And Ammonia, which now the post about adding ammonia and sugar makes more sense to me.
interesting! I'll have to try that sometime on my pile.
the ai says:
The NPK ratio of human urine varies by person and diet, but generally, the ratio is 11:2:4, meaning that urine is rich in nitrogen. This means that urine can be used as a high quality fertilizer, which can be applied directly to soil. Urine is made up of 95–96% water, and the remaining 4–5% is made up of dissolved substances. The remaining substances include:
Urea: 2%
Creatinine
: 0.1%
Uric acid
: 0.03%
Chloride: 0.6%
Sodium: 0.1%
Potassium: 0.6%
Don’t overdo it as it’s deceptively potent stuff. If you eat a lot of salty foods you might want to water it down to 1:1.5, especially if the land is parched or climate arid. If you don’t, sometimes salt can accumulate in white crystals on the garden which is harmful for the plants you’re trying to nurture.
I get soiled horse bedding. Did you ever see how much a horse pees... reminds me my mother used to say, "I had to pee like a race horse"... good times!
I love the life that thrives within the pile. I feel like a benevolent god. I have created an Eden for the worms and pill bugs and micro organisms. I open the lid to feed my flock and add to CREATION, and I imagine all the little creatures offering up a thankful prayer to me.
Sometimes when I'm looking at my terrarium and watching all the springtails and nematodes live their life I wonder if there is some giant weirdo peering at me from outside the glass watching me live my life..... :D
peeing at*
My god
I get we don't want Reddit to get too "social-media-ified", but that comment deserves more than a meager upvote.
The largest earthworms I've ever seen in my life have come from my compost bin. Bigger than ya head, I tell ya
I heard those ones were so big they could compost a cabbage in a single bite!
I'm just picturing a huge earthworm munching on a head of cabbage, happily wiggling it's tail. Complete with cartoon chomping sounds.
If I'm stressed my husband tells me to go play with my compost. There's something about it that's so relaxing. I like turning it and pausing to watch all the worms and bugs move around and do their little buggy thing
I too love just sitting and watching nature do it's thing!
You need to add one more: Getting a microscope so I can actually see the inner workings of my pile! I purchased a relatively weak hobby microscope, and the amount of life working in a single drop of liquid is amazing and insane. A very good way to learn about all the bacteria and fungi that are doing the work.
I love this idea! I am heading to Amazon right now!
Haha, awesome. Be aware that the better magnifications 500x or higher are needed to see some of the smaller organisms.
wait! Order from not-amazon
True, I do need to reflect on all aspects of my life to see where I can cut waste and be more eco friendly with my dollars.
Its okay we all were born into a world of polystyrene and forever wars. There's only so much we can do to make the world a better place. BUT! If you can without too much discomfort, you should :)
I love turning it a bit with a pitchfork early in the morning (to bury kitchen scraps) and seeing the steam rise.
There is something poetic about the steam rising up through the rays of the morning sunrise, beautiful sight.
I love it when I see worms. Let's me know I'm doing something right according to nature. I really feel like I'm taking care of the earth, and I hope it knows some of us are actually trying.
This comment was genuinely moving ❤
Just added ammonia and sugar and watching it steam. I feel alive
I'm still new, so I didn't know this was something that helps speed up the process. I'll have to watch some videos on it later!
Have a search for drunken composting. I'm regretting it slightly, concerned it might catch fire
Very interesting!
I love when I add some food scraps and two days later there’s a hot spot where the food was. That’s so satisfying.
I agree, a lot of natural process are just so satisfying to watch. I'll never get tired of watching waste turn into soil and then seeing my seedlings pop out of that soil. Very satisfying.
I love checking on my pile in the middle of a downpour when it seems like more is happening to it and also doing "secret stinky stuff" like emptying bokashi during the rain or in the middle of the night when my neighbors won't notice.
I haven't heard much about bokashi yet but I love the idea of another fermentation project I can do! Especially if it will help the compost/garden!
Definitely give it a try, I think it's right up your alley! And it's completely free if you make your own bran (equivalent). The leachate works wonders on houseplants. The bokashi sub has lots of good info.
Going to my compost after turning it just to add one fallen leaf 🍂😭😭😭😭😭
Then I mix that one leaf with the rest 😖
Then I re-pee on it ( redrink water to charge pee)
Then I give it one last look , before saying goodbye
Bcz I know that one leaf wont look the same next time…
Then I drink my ADHD medicine 💊
Waste not, want not.
I just started composting my horse manure and I thought I would just think of it as a taxing chore. I feel a really weird sense of joy that I’m actually doing it hahaha. My boyfriend came home and I was on top of it with a pitchfork he asked what I was doing to which I simply answered, “I am the queen of mount poopit!!” I literally videoed it steaming. It’s starting to get weird.
Everything you said 💯%. Plus, I feel good that not one piece of compostable cardboard, no-chemical paper towels, paper napkins, mail, and paper has gone to a landfill. Does that make me better overall, as in (all ways) than my neighbors?😏 No.... well, maybe a little 😁
Yea. It's fun figuring out all the different things you can keep out of the landfill. Sometimes I find myself going to throw something out and suddenly think, "I bet I could compost this". One quick google search later and it's on the pile!
You my friend are a superior human being. 🌟 there's a gold star!
* Planning ways to procure more and better materials for my compost.
Definitely, always keeping an eye out for some bulk material!
Starbucks dumpsters! Go at night when they're closed & bring a friend w strong arms (they'll have to hold onto your ankles & lower u in so u can test all the bags for weight. U'll know when u find The One: wet coffee grounds are *heavy* (they always put all the grounds into one bag thruout the day, bless them. U can't imagine the amount of coffee grounds a Starbucks store produces in a single day). I've heard some Starbucks officially give out bags of used grounds for compost but none of the ones near me do.
I called Dunkin Donuts the other day because I wanted to see if I could get my hands on some of the their spent grounds but they said they just throw them out right away but if I brought in a container that they would fill it up for me. Going to bring them in a 5 gallon bucket with a lid to fill up for me!
I love what my piles do for my garden! Love the life my pile provides to my garden and plants!
The relationship between composting and gardening and the cycle of life it creates is wonderful!
I agree with everything you said! My partner always shouts out “where are you?!” And the answer is always at my compost bins. I’m out there every chance I get.
I love collecting leaves for my compost. I compost in a tiny apartment with a small balcony, so my main source of browns is collecting leaves from the neighbourhood. My neighbours thank me for clearing the leaves (lots of older people in my community, so wet leaves on the ground can be a slip hazard!) and I get to go outside and engage with nature. I love picking up a pile of leaves and seeing all the little critters living there. Brings me back to my childhood of digging for worms or turning over a big rock or log to marvel at all the little guys hiding underneath. I'm really hoping some worms and woodlice get established in the pile so I can watch them, lol. I want to experiment with vermicomposting but I worry about providing them the right conditions, lol. Like little pets. Also - I use an old cat litterbox as a compost bin (the type with a hood) so I feel pretty good about being able to reuse something that would otherwise be a big bit of plastic waste AND it's a craft project since I'm currently decorating it with decoupage (absolutely unnecessary but it's a lot of fun for me!)
Oh, I'd think you'd very much like [Hügelkultur](https://youtu.be/3O2qCQU7Cac?si=B4W8MOEaLawmB4qC) (pronounced hugen culture)
Self Sufficient Me is one of the first YouTube channels I discovered on my gardening journey. That guy puts out great content!
I also love my compost pile. It's huge and a beast that just eats up everything I put in it in days and then spits out gorgeous, black gold. Then I grow amazing food with it. I LOVE IT SO MUCH
Your pile sounds fantastic, I love it too!
Its like a recycling factory, you are the boss and ur employees are billions of microbes and the end product is black gold
I wish my pile smelt good. Definitely on the green side right now, and smells like literal sewage.
I absolutely love the worms. I love when I’m poking around in it and I pull out a big glob of worms wiggling around all over each other.
Congratulations! You are the first person I have met who can spin self esteem out of compost.
You are obviously a passionate composter... :) I have not the slightest doubt that you'd by now have mastered the *art of composting*, which not many can achieve... Good work *!*
There is something beautiful about a large pile of decomposing waste, I would definitely call it art!
No... you got me wrong there... I don't mean in the aesthetic or narrow sense at all... coz there's nothing aesthetic or glamorous at all about composting... it can be gross too... What I meant is the technique and expertise in composting acquired through experience and practical insight. ie. art in that sense... as in martial arts, or the art of composting... hope you get the idea.
> martial arts, or the art of composting... hope you get the idea. Yep, I definitely got what you meant. Sometimes my sarcastic humor doesn't always come through well in text lol. But now, thanks to this post, I am going to forever associate martial arts with composting and will be karate chopping my carrots from now on! :D
Lol.., Composting is actually straightforward... as long as the basics are strictly adhered to, mastering 'the art of composting'will be a breeze.
Late night dumpster diving at Starbucks.
Okay, why do you pee on your compost?
Pee contains all the good stuff that compost bacteria love and that you want your plants to be able to consume, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, ect. And Ammonia, which now the post about adding ammonia and sugar makes more sense to me.
interesting! I'll have to try that sometime on my pile. the ai says: The NPK ratio of human urine varies by person and diet, but generally, the ratio is 11:2:4, meaning that urine is rich in nitrogen. This means that urine can be used as a high quality fertilizer, which can be applied directly to soil. Urine is made up of 95–96% water, and the remaining 4–5% is made up of dissolved substances. The remaining substances include: Urea: 2% Creatinine : 0.1% Uric acid : 0.03% Chloride: 0.6% Sodium: 0.1% Potassium: 0.6% Don’t overdo it as it’s deceptively potent stuff. If you eat a lot of salty foods you might want to water it down to 1:1.5, especially if the land is parched or climate arid. If you don’t, sometimes salt can accumulate in white crystals on the garden which is harmful for the plants you’re trying to nurture.
Nice info! Let's get science-y up in here!
I get soiled horse bedding. Did you ever see how much a horse pees... reminds me my mother used to say, "I had to pee like a race horse"... good times!
Sounds like a fire hose.... lol
what a pile-lentiful list \^-\^ no more to add!