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I want to start a mini compost operation. Help?

9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago

I just moved from rural Costa Rica where we used to simply cold compost everything in holes in our extensive yard, to super densely populated Hanoi where we only have a small garden.

Now I cannot just throw my kitchen scraps to the garbage with everything else so i want to start a mini compost operation. (I know Bokashi would be ideal, but there's no bokashi starter commercially available in Vietnam that I know of and I am not about to make my own starter)

I have absolutely no idea about compost and have been reading here and there online.
So far I got two buckets and I do this:

1. Blend my scraps every other day and put in one bucket with lid. Some water has to be added or it won´t blend.

2. Strain the contents in one bucket to another every five days or so, which leaves me with: a. green liquid and b. little semi dry "patties"

Note: Nothing really smells foul. It smells slightly acidic and fermented. Nothing seems to be heating up.
The space we have available indoors is limited, so keeping things nice and tidy and as reduced as possible is key.

My question is: What do I do with the excess liquid and the patties???

And please don't flame me for using a blender, i realize going all green is better....but I do not have time to hand chop all the scraps, so if we are to compost at all, we need to use the blender.
Here are some photos of what I've done so far. I'm sure it's full of mistakes, that's why I'm here to seek help. Thanks in advance!



Comments (12)

  • 9 years ago

    Some questions....

    What are your goals? Is it to get rid of waste? To enrich your soil?

    How small is this 'small' garden?

    At the moment you are using a labour intensive process and basically making vegetable slurry, not compost.

    I have had some tiny gardens in my time and I've always found room to dig a hole and bury scraps.

  • 9 years ago

    I think I may be able to bury these in the garden...it's only 4 to 5 square meters :(
    I can also keep them in the bucket and let it decompose there?
    If I toss the excess liquid to the plant, would that be ok?
    My goal would be both? To reduce the waste that we send out to the garbage truck and to enrich our tiny patch of soil.
    Thanks :)

  • 9 years ago

    I 'd put compost piles on ground ~ 1x3 sq meters; and plant all plants, which are not fit in the garden, into the pots.

  • 9 years ago

    Look up "trench composting" ... you just bury the scraps in the garden and let them decay. No chopping, no straining ... just toss them in a hole or ditch and cover it over.


  • 9 years ago

    The reason your slurry smells bad is that it is 1) too wet and 2) too high in nitrogen. Some high-carbon "browns" would solve both problems. Shredded paper, sawdust, wood chips, cardboard, leaves, etc. would all work. If you can find a source for any of those, keep some handy and LAYER it with your kitchen stuff. If you can get a piece of chicken wire, flexible plastic fencing, etc. to make a taller and slightly wider cylinder than your bucket, you'll have something more like a compost bin.

    Or do the burial thing as suggested above.

  • 9 years ago

    Thank you so much for the trench suggestion! I think i will try that :)
    I might start a mini trench and a mini hot compost like toxcrusadr suggested...experiment and see which of the two works better for our needs
    Thanks all!


  • 9 years ago

    Ok, so i have decided to dig a trench and bury my blended scraps. Haha, will stop blending now though, thanks for your suggestions!
    I've read up a bit about composting and know a tad bit now. I layered all the kitchen scraps with garden clippings.
    Sad news is, while I was digging there was absolutely NO worms in sight. Nothing. The soil has a good amount of clumps of clay and the rest feels sandy.
    So...vermicompost I would love to do...but I am yet to find worms here.

  • 9 years ago

    I suggested vermicomposting for you because it does not have to take up any garden space at all - the bin can sit in a shaded area, patio, outbuilding, garage etc. I keep my bin in my basement.

    Vermicomposting uses specific types of surface-dwelling worms, not earthworm species that dig in the soil. There are probably places in your country/city to buy composting worms, but I wouldn't know how to help you find them! And while red wiggler worms are the species we typically use for vermicomposting in North America and Europe, there are other species more commonly used in the tropics & subtropics. If you do decide to try vermicomposting you can research your local sources. It may be that there is a university or environmental center project that uses vermicomposting worms and would let you buy some. Mail order may also be an option. That's how I got my red wigglers for my bin.

    It's sad to hear you have no native earthworms in your garden, but if there are any at all in your area, adding organic matter to your soil will certainly attract them eventually. They have a remarkable ability to show up anywhere there's free food for them, even in urban environments.

  • 9 years ago

    A university or a environmental center project, that´s a great idea! thanks! I´ll definitely go and look for a few once I get a better hold of living here.
    For now...i found these today...so there´s hope?


  • 9 years ago

    Is that where you tried burying some of your food scraps/slurry?

  • 9 years ago

    Not exactly on top of top of where it´s buried but close by (about 2 feet)