I really appreciate this post, C, thank you. I’ve always wanted to do this, and have tried other methods, but get impatient or lazy or overwhelmed or all of the above. This seems very doable for us.

Great inspiration. 💚

Thanks for laying out your exact methodology. I have very few food scraps and what I do have gets added to the green waste that is collected by the city. I keep the waste I create in a small container in the freezer in between trash days. I don't have any grass, so no clippings and all but one of my trees are evergreen, so no leaves.

I've always been afraid to try to compost at my house because I don't want to attract rats, but now I don't even have a place for a compost pile.

I thought for a while that I might buy one of those countertop dessicating appliances, but again, I realized I don't have enough food waste for it to be useful.

C, have you tried either leaving the leaves or raking them into a pile or piles, possibly hidden from view? Grinding or mulching the leaves will destroy any insects or any pupae that may be overwintering on the underside of the leaves or hidden under the leaves (otherwise known as spring bird food or butterflies, moths, etc. which also become bird food.

I don't have a yard anymore, and it's still a bit counterintuitive for me to throw away kitchen scraps. When we had a yard, I had a bin from our city; they're given out for free, and vermin proof (well except for cockroaches). I was gratified to learn the new owners of our house kept the bin.

Before that, I used hardware cloth cylinders - that has much smaller openings.

Do you use a dedicated food processor?

I know a few people who compost and they always end up keeping some in the fridge as a stopgap...

always end up keeping some in the fridge as a stopgap...

Why do they do that? Just curious.

@carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10 no it’s all clean from the fridge/ sink/ cutting board into the bucket. Just dish soap for everything as clean up.

Stop gap for …? @mtnrdredux_gw

@cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA) I don’t mow over to grind anymore. I only did it once a few years ago and it was too much work and loud! I only have 3 trees and 2 are quite small leaves/ small trees. I just rake the leaves that get on the grass back into the beds underneath . The plants are extremely happy!

I have my big wire homemade bin behind DH’s office/ shed it is blocked from view by a very large Corten Steel decorative panel. I have 5 of them as decorations so it all looks nice.

Thanks for the pictorial. I’d like to do this next year in Ct (we leave in 2 1/2 weeks for Fl). Longwood uses its’ fallen leaves as compost. They call it leaf mold. i think the ”runoff” was ”compost tea”

@jojoco I called the ” dregs” when I washed out the 5 gallon bucket compost tea and always dumped it straight on a flower bed. It was ” odiferous” to say the least but the plants love it.

I am always looking for ways to shorten the process without diminishing the return. This composting is the ultimate!

My leaves are all small and soft. I have to contend with the neighbor across the street who has a Magnolia tree. Huge coarse leaves. I used to try to deal with them but I now “sweep and dump “ , they go back under her huge tree. I pick the flowers as compensation 😊. c

My DH fishes, and he used to have a worm bin in his shop. We save scraps, and I did exactly as you do (on a smaller scale) with the blender. We called it worm smoothies. Smoothie FOR the worms, not containing worms!

Now we have a compost heap outside, so we throw scraps in whole. I don't know if he has revived the worm population or not.

At both our places, my friends compost in bins that the town provides. Inveitably either their countertop bin or the outdoor bin are overflowing, so they start keeping scraps in a small bag in the fridge. I guess if they were really composting, ie themselves, there is always room!

Haha you had me on the smoothies lol! I have tons of worms . I always feel badly when I am digging and they get cut up.

I would love to compost, as I produce a lot of scraps, coffee grinds and eggshells. A neighbor a few doors down who’s a prolific gardener said she tried it once and it attracted rodents. I live on a small lot in an urban area, and I’d hate to be responsible for a neighborhood infestation.

Bury it in a wire compost bin . See the attached link. She was doing something wrong. I have plenty of varmints in our area and never once has either my bucket or bin been invaded.

The wrong sorts of foods or not burying it in the bin. I don’t have hardware wire just vinyl coated 3” squares wire. Cardboard underneath. That is it.

Please don’t let her experience stop you. She is not a good example. 🙏c

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+prevent+rodents+in+a+wire+bin+compist+pile&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS1149US1149&oq=how+to+prevent+rodents+in+a+wire+bin+compist+pile&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIJCAEQIRgKGKABMgcIAhAAGO8FMgcIAxAAGO8FMgoIBBAAGIAEGKIEMgcIBRAAGO8FMgoIBhAAGIAEGKIEMgcIBxAhGI8CMgcICBAhGI8CMgcICRAhGI8C0gEJMjE0NzBqMGo3qAIZsAIB4gMEGAEgX_EF3k0YAyeGF4E&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&source=chrome.ob&ie=UTF-8#lfId=ChxjMe

Thank you for the link!

FWIW, there is a Soil, Compost & Mulch forum here with helpful info...

When we left our last house, the realtor told us to remove the compost bin and raised beds befroe we put it on the market. We tried different methods at this house and they all failed until we got the same square wire bin we thought was too large for this space. The wire bins seem to work the best of all. We put yard waste, coffee, tea, fruit and veggie peels and scraps, but they say not to put meat or fatty things in the bin or it can cause foul odors and will attract rodents.

@lascatx yes it is well documented that any fatty proteins etc are NOT for home compost.

There is commercial compostable which is completely different and is subjected to high heat to aid breakdown.

I assume , wrongly I guess, that people read about this before they begin. Anyway it is so simple and fulfilling to see the amazing black soil appear magically from carrot scraps etc.

I hope I have encouraged a few new composters 🙏 c