Napolean and Nacho

Meet Napolean and Nacho our composting friends. In my gardening class (which I LOVE) we have learned about - well, many things - but Brad and I thought that we would like to teach our children about Mother Nature's recycling program - COMPOSTING! It's easy. It's cheap. It's VERY beneficial. It's right up my ally!!!

Here are some quotes straight from my Idaho Master Gardener Program Handbook on composting:

Composting is the biological decomposition of organic matter. We practice it to recycle unwanted organic materials, such as yard trimmings and food scraps, and to produce compost, a valuable soil amendment.

Composting is a natural and flexible process. It will take place under a wide range of conditions and methods regardless of either the efforts or neglect of human composters.

Carbon to Nitrogen ratio is important. 20-50 parts of Carbon to one part Nitrogen is a good goal. A mix of 2-3 volumes of brown to one volume of green works well for backyard composting. (Browns can include - dry leaves, corn stalks, straw, shrub trimmings, waste paper, wood - Greens can include - grass clippings, kitchen scraps, vegetable culls, horse manure, cattle manure, chicken manure)

Okay, this wasn't supposed to turn into a seminar! I do have a GREAT resource with this Master Gardener Handbook - so if you have specific questions, I can most likely find the answers for you.

The point of this was the introduction of Napolean and Nacho, our composting allies. Composting happens. BUT, it can happen faster if we intervene. Some people do heaps of compost, some composting bins, and they even sell tumblers. Tumblers were my favorite because they are usually the most rapid method of composting. They are also the most "tidy" way to compost - I don't want a family of RATS living in my wire compost bins. Well, guess what? Tumblers are expensive. Hundreds, if not more for all of the models I saw. SO... not wanting to "break the bank" on "garbage" Brad and I headed to the Home Depot and purchased two buckets (Napolean and Nacho) for about $5 each - including the tight-fitting lid. Since aeration is ESSENTIAL, we drilled holes in the buckets. Now we are loading them up. When one of them is full, the children will be instructed to sort of roll Napolean or Nacho (depending on who is getting the "good ingredients" or "dang quesadilla" at the time) around the yard - with the lid ON - to promote the breakdown. As it points out in my MGHB - "Turning a compost pile weekly can yield compost in 1-2 months, with adequate moisture and a good combination of materials. Without turning, composting takes 6 months to 2 years. You can make excellent-quality compost either way."

So that is what we, with the help of Napolean and Nacho, are setting out to do. I have to say, that it's nice to know that while I am sitting here wasting time, I am also aiding in the vital process of decomposition. Huh! Multi-tasking isn't as hard as you think!!!