making compost | Crazy About Compost

Top Tips for Composting at Home (video)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwu21uR1oBQ About time I make a video on how to compost, eh? I'm only a year into having this website...not bad! Since I live in the city, using a compost tumbler is the best choice for me. However, using a bin, worm trays, or just making a heap all have the following tips in common. My top tips for composting at home: -Stick to the 3:1 ratio for browns (leaves, cardboard, paper, straw) and greens (food waste, coffee grounds, grass clippings) -Shred your materials to speed up decomposition and avoid clumping, which impedes airflow -Pile should be moist as a "wrung out sponge" -Turn your pile each week to hasten decay -Add a shovelful of dirt to introduce essential organisms AVOID composting: -Meat, dairy, fish and excessively oily foods -Plastics,…

Can You Use Compost As Cat Litter?

You may recall that I recently had an article posted about whether or not it's a good idea to compost your cat litter. This time, I'm flipping it around to "can you use your compost as cat litter?" Let me remind you that I don't own a cat...I merely deal with them crapping all over the side of my house and I'm basically okay with that. Working with waste all the time means I don't smell much of anything anyway. Here's a photo of the gifts that the alley cats leave for me: I have a feeling these cats would have no problem using compost in their litter box, if they had one. I have not observed these cats seeking out my compost in the (fenced off) backyard to sit…

How to Compost Your Cat’s Litter (article)

Today on the street I was asked about an eco-friendly way to deal with cat litter. Oh, the conversations I get to have with people...I love it. Not being a cat owner, or any pet owner for that matter, I wasn't even sure what kitty litter is made of. I discovered that the "eco-friendly" cat litter is corn cob, pine chips, or if you're innovative and resourceful, sawdust. Using clay or sand kitty litter wouldn't work with compost, and it's not smart to dump down your toilet, either. Even though I don't use my compost for food purposes, I'd probably dump my cat litter in my compost ditch NEXT to the compost tumbler for a while...but I guess in a matter of time it would smell? Cats like to crap…