How To Start A Compost Pile
ATTENTION: Don’t miss the compost tumbler giveaway at the bottom of this post!!
Win This Compost Tumbler!
Did you know that food scraps make up over 12% of the US waste stream? According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, Americans throw away more than 25 percent of the food we prepare, amounting to about 96 billion pounds of food waste each year! Yikes!
For starters, it sounds like as a nation we need to be more conscious about the amount of food we purchase and prepare to minimize waste. And when we do need to toss out food scraps, we can do it in a way to reduce the impact on the environment.
No matter where you live, autumn is a great time of year to start a compost pile. Compost piles break down food scraps (like vegetable peels, bread crusts, and egg shells) into super-rich, super-usable fertilizer for your flower beds and garden. There are tons of resources out there that cover the composting process inside and out. Basically, to get started you will need 2 types of ingredients:
- Carbon (shredded newspapers, cardboard, and straw)
- Nitrogen (lawn clippings, food scraps, and weeds).
Combine them together and before long you’ll have compost. If you’re feeling lazy you don’t need to do anything else (but wait and wait). You’ll have usable compost by next year even if you never touch the pile again. If you’d like things to move along a little more quickly, you’ll need to turn the pile and add a few drops of water every few weeks. Enclosed compost bins can help keep your pile neat and organized.
Personally, I have a compost tumbler, a self-contained composting unit that you simply spin every few days to mix. I love it because it makes composting neat and easy and even my kids like to give it a spin! So I’m really excited to be giving one away today! That’s right, thanks to Clean Air Gardening, one lucky winner will get the Tumbleweed Compost Tumbler delivered to their doorstep, just in time to take care of all of those autumn leaves!
There’s 3 ways to enter:
1. Subscribe to The Green Parent via RSS or Email. If you’re already a subscriber, just leave me a comment below and say so!
2. Join The Green Parents Forum (already a member? leave a comment below!)
3. Spread the word about this contest via Twitter, Stumble, Digg, Facebook, MySpace, etc.
Leave a comment below each time you do one of these things...each comment equals one entry. The winning comment will be chosen by Random.org. Remember…US residents only. Contest ends 9/30!
And the winner is….
Here are your random numbers:
13
Timestamp: 2008-10-01 16:32:42 UTC
Congrats Tavia!
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I would love to go in the draw for this please?
I am a RSS subscriber and love all the posts you put up
oh. wait. no. cancel that. I just read the bit about US only as I hit the submit button
I’m an RSS subscriber and I love to compost!
I would love this! My father-in-law would be envious!!
I’m a member of the forum too. Yeah!
I’m an rss subscribe and really enjoying it. I would love to win this tumbler
Facebook-ed It
I subscribe on Bloglines
I’m a subscriber through google reader. I’d love to be entered in this drawing as we recently had to move to Chicagoland and now have no yard, just a small deck.
sign me up please. I am subscribed with google reader and I am already on your forums too. My 11 yr old daughter just created a homemade bin in an old cat litter bin. She has only had it going about a week but she is very excited and this tumbler would thrill her!
I’m already subscribed via RSS.
Oh man. I would LOVE this! I have a huge hole that the kids & myself dug in the back where all our lovely compost is. This would make it so much easier for us.
Just Twittered about it.
I’ve wanted a tumbler for so long. I guess it’s my organized personality. Great giveaway.
I subscribe to The Green Parent via e-mail! My husband and I would love to get this as we both are very interested in composting. What a great way to start!
How cool
Already member of Green Parents forum
Could finally get my dd’s dad to compost if we got this.
I have joined The Green Parents Forum =)
I will definitely spread the word about this contest via myspace and my blog. Thanks so much for this giveway!
I am already a member but would LOVE to try this composter!
I’m a member of the forum, subscribe to the emails, and am spreading the word! Thanks!
I’m an enthusiastic subscriber and I’m learning so much!! I’m really excited about this - I’ve been looking into buying a composter (especially since I have no garbage disposal!!) and the cost is prohibitive for me! And this would be an awesome thing to share with/teach my 3 year old!!
I’m on Green Parent forum, Facebook, RSS subscriber, You Tube and just about every other place you are. I LOVE this stuff… oh and I want to win this baby!
I’m an email subscriber and have been thinking about starting to compost.
I just mentioned yesterday that I’d meant to and failed to get my compost bin up this summer. I’d love to have a tumbler!
I’m an rss subscriber and love the blog.
Thanks!
This would be fantastic for my son’s preschool. Just sayin’. Love you guys!
pick me! pick me! I’m already an e-mail subscriber!
No! Pick me! I just joined your forum! ;o)
Jen
Just Stumbled Ya! I really want this!
Jen
I joined the green parents forum. We’re currently burying our food waste in our yard, but that is going to get very hard once the ground freezes!
I’m a subscriber via Google Reader and would love to win the composter. Thanks for the chance!
I’m an rss subscriber on my blog. I actually have a post on my blog about composting today . . . basically about how easy it was to incorporate into our lives. Thanks for the post and giveaway.
Just Twittered about you to Earth911!
I LOVE my composter…in 18 months I haven’t yet “needed” to empty it…but I can see the deep rich soil…I would love to have a second to keep things moving…
I’ve subscribed by RSS. And I composted in the 1970s. I’m entering this to try to win for my daughter, whose baby is due 12/1
I subscribe. This would be AWESOME to help me do it right. I’ve been doing a homemade version… have a feeling I’m doing something wrong: (
I’m a subscriber and totally need this since I just moved from a condo to a house!
Already an “official” member of “The Green Parent” site. I would love this (and really need it!!)
I used to compost but haven’t since we moved to Michigan. I’d love to win this and start again. I”m an email subscriber.
I’m a subscriber. I’ve just begun a compost pile, but have yet to get a bin for it. lol.
This is a cool product! Composting always sounds like a great idea but I don’t know where to begin.
I’m a already a subscriber and we are looking to start our first vegetable garden next year and this would be perfect!
I am already a member of the Forum and LOVE IT!
What a great idea to make composting easier. I subscribe by email.
rss subscriber here
love your site, and what a great giveaway!
I subscribe and would LOVE to win this!
I just subscribed to RSS and would like to enter the drawing for the compost tumbler! Thanks!
I’m a subscriber and I’d love to enter the drawing for the compost tumbler!
I would love to win one of these! I just added you to My Yahoo feed reader. Thanks!