Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Where can I find supplies in the area for composting in my backyard? If it makes a difference I'm starting only with produce.
Oh, and if this makes a difference, I'm a stay at home mom who hates bugs and worms and other creepy crawly things. But, I put on a good face for my kids. And, we have a small yard., so keeping this project unsmelly is important. But, I feel like I need to this for our children. So, if anyone knows how to make this as un-gross as possible I'd love some tips and how to's and where to buys.
At the height of the drought last year, I had my husband spread the grass clippings under our wax myrtles in the backyard, figuring extra layers of mulch wouldn't hurt. It actually worked out very nicely. I was no longer putting the grass clippings in the can for the yard debris collection, and I was pleasantly surprised this Spring at the sheer numbers of earthworms in the mulch!
You must spread the grass clippings across the area such that it dries some; otherwise, it will have an awful 'sour' smell to it. I had no problem doing this approximately once a week over the course of the summer and fall. In addition, when the leaves from the myrtles fall, they just add to the layers of mulch.
We started a compost heap last year, but you can buy bins to to do it as well. If done correctly, it won't ever be smelly, it just has an earthy smell. This time of year it's great to start the compost with grass clippings. Use grass clippings, organic material and leaves/twigs to start it. In order to keep it un-smelly, you should bury the food products in the middle of the heap. This also keeps the animals out.
There are toms of composting resources on the internet. I think I started mine with a help sheet of how to get it started and what NOT to put in it from the NC Agricultural extension agency.
Here's a link to a Cary website: Recycling (http://www.townofcary.org/depts/pwdept/recycling/compost.htm - broken link)
I'm also planning to do something similar. We only have a small backyard and I'll be starting with produce only. I've seen in catalogs compost bins that you can turn with a hand crank. It can't get much simpler than that and if you don't have a lot then the smaller size isn't as much of a problem. I hate wasting all the veggie trimmings. The one I'm looking at is at the Gardener's Supply Company.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.