Latest Issues & Questions Answered

• Kitchen Compost Fruit Fly Fiasco

  They’re everywhere I know. You start with an acceptably clean and organized kitchen…used-looking like a good kitchen should be. After cooking one evening you leave a heaping mound of sweet dumpling squash peelings, onion skins, and purslane ends topped over with some steaming decaf coffee grounds scooped from the french press with a rubber spatula. [...]

• Carbon Nitrogen Ratio

  Some of you may have noticed talk of Carbon Nitrogen (C/N) ratios being thrown around like it’s going out of style in the world of compost. But what’s it all about? Is it even important? If so, how can I use it to my advantage? Well look no further.
  All organic material and otherwise have a [...]

• Fleas in Compost question!

  I’m on the Denver Urban Gardens mailer and here is a question that was asked:
  Okay, I’m kind of struggling with composting. I had mushrooms growing a few weeks ago, and now I have fleas that are getting to be a problem. I add green and brown to the bin, water, stir once or twice a [...]

• The Solution to Outdoor Flies?

  So the other day while getting ready for bed I came across a nicely sized black spider scurrying along my carpet trying to ineptly escape my gaze. So instead of my usual capturing of the spider in a cup and hurling it off my balcony I devised a crafty composting solution.
  I had thought many times [...]

• Composting Biodegradable Cups

  We’ve all seem them by now. Those neat plastic-ware items like Corn Cups that say biodegradable on the bottom. Uber chic at any outdoor event I assure you. But before becoming comfortable plopping them in the ‘ol worm bin I had to do my due diligence of a compost professional. My report to you:
  May it [...]

• Compost Hydration

  How can I get started composting right away?
  What’s the technique with the worms all about?
  Composting is as simple or as complex as you’d like to make it. But one things stands true no matter what: it’s fun. Oh yeah, and it’s beneficial to yourself, the community, and the environment. Here are some good places to [...]

• Aerate those Scraps

  One of the most fundamental principles of creating compost in the quickest fashion in aerating your pile. Also, one of the reasons your kitchen scraps compost in the landfills at extremely slow rates is because they compact everything so much it doesn’t allow for aeration. Let’s not make that mistake ourselves. Here’s what you need [...]

• News: Smelly Compost!

  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 [...]

• Greens and Browns

  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 [...]