the gilberts are trying their hand at composting! we bought this rolling composter on a stand and we're attempting to make our first batch of compost. we produce so many vegetable scraps every day now that we're juicing that it felt like such a waste to throw them all away. and even though we decided not to do raised beds this year (due to the expense and the fact that we are doing other house projects), how can you say no to beautiful compost waiting for you when you need it?
here's a little rundown of how we did it::
first we filled the bottom of the composter (about seven inches high) with shredded leaves. then we wet that layer until it was the consistency of a wrung-out sponge (or just dump a whole bunch of water on it and say to each other "how the hell are you supposed to know how much water to add to this??????")
then we added a couple of weeks worth of veggie/fruit/egg scraps. since it was sitting around for a couple of weeks in the heat it was totally gag-worthy and filled with bugs. it was really, really not a pleasant thing to do. luckily it was cold the day we did this so it made it a bit more manageable. but seriously. yeah.
for the final layer, we added a bunch (see how i'm so technical with my terminology!) of old grass clippings. we have a big pile in the back of our yard (which is also going to be our more 'natural' compost pile #2 while this first batch is cooking). we added a thick later and then closed the top. you're supposed to let it sit like this for about 7-10 days before you turn the composter (which is super heavy, btw!). 
every once in a while we'll give our composter a turn and peek inside. not much going on, but it's been pretty cold and i think heat will speed up the process. the kids love seeing our food waste being turned into something else! it's like mama earth magic. do you compost? how do you do it, and what do you use it for?
