compostinginstructor

Compost Can – a good way to collect materials for your composter!

Perhaps you’re already composting all of your yard waste and garden waste. If so, great work!

But are you throwing away kitchen scraps that you could turn into rich, finished compost instead?

Don’t throw away those scraps — collect them with a compost can in your kitchen!

You can use your own sealed container if you want, but a specialized pail sometimes looks a bit nicer on your kitchen counter. Here are some different types of compost cans for you to consider.

A plastic compost can is the cheapest way to go, other than using a container that you already own. This one is $19, from Clean Air Gardening.

A ceramic compost canister looks like fine china when it sits on your kitchen counter, and it’s easy to clean in the dishwasher. Just be careful not to drop it, or CRASH! $39 at Clean Air Gardening.

Does your kitchen have the stainless look? If so, a stainless steel compost can would go right with everything else! $39 at Clean Air Gardening.

Compost is renewable, so why not use renewable bamboo for your compost can? This one actually has a plastic liner, so it’s not ALL eco friendly. But the plastic liner can be washed in the dishwasher, which is convenient. $39 at Clean Air Gardening.

What do you use to collect your kitchen scraps for composting? Leave a comment!

Composting Tip: Can I compost Beans?

We love to get reader questions. Laura asks us the following:

“hi, thanks. I wonder about beans….are they like meat? i cook beans for two and inevitably have left over, can i compost? will they attract rats etc I live in the city…up til now i only am using raw fruit and veggie and grass leaves ….thanks (ex: pea soup, no oil, lental soup etc no oil). thank you”

Great question, Laura. The answer is: beans should be fine for composting. Here’s some rules of thumb though: it’s a good idea to bury kitchen scraps and food further down the pile and then put the leaves/grass clippings over them. You might want to follow this tact when composting your beans as well. This will ensure that they will have less of a chance of being subject to rodents and pests.

All in all, you should be fine. Thanks for your question, and hope this helps!

Composting Tip: Can I compost vegetables from canned goods?

As we often get questions related to composting (and some great ones at that, by the way…you guys are on top of your game) – we try and answer them as soon as we can. A question we got recently comes from Joanne, who asks:

“Can you compost a canned vegetable product if the can is bulged and air escapes when opened?”

Great question, Joanne! You sure can’t eat it…that’s for sure. However, let’s say you’ve got a dented or swollen can (something that you’d throw away and not eat) – yes, you can compost it! You might want to throw it in the center of the pile, as to avoid rodents or pests digging into your compost. Basically, once oxygen is involved, the anaerobic bacteria will die off and the aerobic microbes from the compost will break everything down, and you should be fine.

If you’re really worried about it, you could always trench compost it – which is basically digging a hole, dumping it in there, covering it up, and then leaving it.

In all honesty, you will be totally fine with everything. Thanks, and hope this helps. Happy Composting!