Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Here goes nothin'!

I heard of a way to make a homemade compost bin from Gina at My Skinny Garden, and I am implementing this in my yard in the hope that it will provide long-awaited help for my garden soil.

I took a Rubbermaid 20-gal. container and cut a bunch of holes in it, and I threw in leaves and kitchen scraps, and we're going to see if I can make compost! My soil is the most compacted, nutrient-poor clay you can possibly imagine; there are few gardens in this world that need compost and soil amendment more than mine. But I haven't had a spare couple hundred dollars laying around to get the compost bin I really want, which has a hand crank and is held on a stand. Such a contraption would mean I don't even have to lift a shovel or fork to turn it. But I'm tired of telling myself "I'll get it soon...maybe next month," and then a whole growing season goes by and I still haven't started composting.

So thanks to some blog-induced inspiration, I'm trying this very low-tech method to at least make a little compost, and hopefully I will finally get my ideal bin at some point. Until that day, I can try to improve the dastardly Illinois clay I'm stuck with. And if this doesn't work and I'm stuck with a half-decomposed pile of yuck, then I'm only out $6!

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