I don’t care what you’ve heard. Having worms isn’t such a bad thing. In fact, it’s a whole new level of cool I wasn’t familiar with before this recent experience. I feel like I’m a part of a brand new counter-culture of innovative people who find new and better uses for the things they have, do and consume.

I’ve got worms. Eisenia fetida worms in fact. You may also recognize them as “red worms” or “composting worms”. There are many resources of where to find worms: shipped from a website; dropped off at your house; or picked up at a local nursery. I picked mine up from the local nursery City Floral in lovely Denver. And they even came in a little Chinese food to-go box!

The box included “300 Red Worms in various stages (eggs to adult).” I’d say 95+% were alive and kickin’ ready to get their eat on.

The worms most likely didn’t want to stay locked up in that bag much longer so I got to work on my worm bin:

1. I had already cut up the newspaper for the bedding, so my next step was to add some dirt for worm congestion.
2. Then to dampen the newspaper and dirt for the happiness of the hungry wiggling worms.
3. Next, just plop the ol’ worms on top of the dirt in the center of your bin.
4. Finally allow light (daylight or lamp) to shine on the top of the bin so the worms will start working their way into the bedding. This should only take a few hours max. From that point on make sure to keep a lid on your bin

Tada! Now all that is left is to wait a week (I cheated and only waited 3 days) for the worms to get situated to the new environment and hungry for kitchen scraps.

This article is from the “Balcony Compost Newsletter (Compost This!)” Please use the form on the right to sign up for the semi-monthly newsletter if you thought this information was helpful

A major deterrent many people have about composting is smell. Understandable! We’ve all had kitchen scraps composting in our garbage bins creating a smell that leaves you gagging. Please keep in mind:

Your compost should not smell!

Don’t get me wrong. Compost, like anything else, can be done improperly. Why not take these easy steps to keep your compost smelling foresty fresh:

• Make sure your compost is only moist. Soggy wet compost can smell like a soggy gym sock.
• Don’t add meat or cheese.
• Make sure your compost is well aerated. If it’s packed down, mix it up and allow air through.
• Compost thrives on a good mix of green and brown components. A lot of green components can be smelly, including the majority of your kitchen scraps. Add more brown to suck up moisture and smells. Here’s a list of some good urban browns: shredded newspaper; toilet paper & paper towel rolls; rice; dryer lint; vacuum cleaner sweepings; coffee filters; tissue.

Composting is getting popular! For the first year in the 18 year history of the composting program in Denver they fully sold out their compost classes. In fact, composting in Denver has become SO popular that in order to fulfill the need they added 20-30 classes!

There are two types of composting classes in the area, one is on general composting, and the other on vermicomposting (worm composting). The one I participated in recently was the general, and I’m signed up for the vermicomposting come late-June (so keep posted!).

The general class is as it sounds, and covers the basics of all styles of composting, with a focus on backyard pile styles and general knowledge of best composting practices. They also touched on tumblers and vermicomposting with two gracious leaders answering any questions people had. One was the charismatic and fun-loving composter lady, and the other was an encyclopedia of composting knowledge. Both great instructors that had recently come out of the "Master Composter Program" that Denver Recycles offers along with the Denver Urban Gardens.

Although neither teacher had vermicomposted before I was able to get my questions answered on the subject (more…)

Organic things without a pulse love to decompose. Even you! When the time comes…in the meantime let’s use an apple for the example. Once the apple falls from the tree it will start breaking down. Put the apple in your bag and it may stay healthy a few more weeks. Let the apple stay touching the ground and it won’t last much more than a day. This is because the earth comes standard with natural decomposers.

These decomposers, microorganisms, or microbes, come in various types at various phases. What is important to know while starting out is that when composting, these microbes are your bestest friends in the world. So how can you help your new found friends survive and work their little hearts out for your benefit? The answer is simple! Greens and Browns.

What is brown? Brown things are dead. Brown things are also high in carbon so you may also hear them referred to as that. Here are some popular brown examples: dried leaves; shredded paper; eggshells; (more…)

I was recently interviewed on an independent local community radio station about the Balcony Compost Project. For all that are interested here is the interview:

Balcony Compost Interview on KGNU

Approximately 6 minutes long.

The interest is there for this new wave of environmental consciousness, and it will keep growing with our efforts. Share this site with your friends and family and let’s make composting a mainstay in the way we as a society live.

There are many factors to consider when choosing a composting method that is right for you.  But what are those factors? And how do they effect whether you’re using a compost tumbler or red wigglers? Well hold your horses! First off, it’s best to know what composting methods are out there.

1. Passive Composting (Cool)- Put your kitchen scraps and grass clippings into a section of your yard and let nature take it’s course. There will be earth worms and some heat but not a lot of either. This process, as it sounds, is easy and takes a lot of time.
2. Active Composting (Hot)- This process takes some more effort on your behalf, but you get your compost cooking quickly and at temperatures between 113 F and 158 F. This makes your scraps break down quickly to get your golden compost soil anywhere between 2-8 weeks.
3. Vermicomposting (Worms)- Worms eat kitchen scraps and make compost out of their butt. How awesome are they?? Very. They don’t need much space, but are temperature sensitive. Red wigglers (Eisenia Foetida) are the best. You’ll have to make a bin that they enjoy with the proper bedding and aeration.
   

Here are some of the most crucial things to look at before making your choice:

1. Space. How much space are you willing to commit to composting? Are you indoors/outdoors? (more…)

Composting at home is only the first part of a still simple compost equation. This equation in total is to never throw out a piece of organic matter again. While seeming like an impossibility currently, I will see this dream within my lifetime. But where to start? Ah yes, the place you spend your near most amount of time: your place of business. I spend my time at the lovely Fashion Denver office in Cherokee Row of the lovely Golden Triangle of Denver.

After shamefully throwing an apple core in the trash I decided I needed to copy my simple-style balcony composting to the officina.

(more…)