Build It or Buy It

Editor's Note: This is #4 in a series by guest blogger Sheryl (@yardfanatic) about her transition from the Pacific Northwest to the Lone Star State. You can see more of her work over at her blog, Yard Fanatic.

I am continually bowled over by how expensive soil is here in Texas. I’m from the Northwest and didn’t realize how much the wood mill and yard debris industries contribute to making cheap sources of compost. I’d have to get three more jobs to afford to buy enough topsoil to even get started on my gardening projects. But considering that I work full time as it is and barely have enough time to play in the dirt, clearly an alternative must be found.

The answer lies in the garbage: compost it.

The average household creates an incredible amount of waste and most of it can be utilized to build your own soil. Once you start gardening you will also generate more yard debris. All you need is a composting container or bin and a good pitchfork and you can turn this stuff into black gold.

Compost bins can just be piles in a corner, wire enclosures, wood pallets attached together, a barrel, a stack of cinder blocks, or a bin. My favorite is a three-bin system that I first saw in Kent, Washington. The city was touting composting as a way to reduce waste and had the bin in their demonstration garden. It’s plans come with a lid to help keep all that rain off – something we didn’t add when we built the bin while living in Oregon and later here in Texas. Here is a link to a site that has several compost bin plans. The three-bin system is near the end of the page.

From Austin Yard

We keep a large, lidded, Rubbermaid container underneath the sink to place all our vegetable food waste. The only animal products we include are eggshells. Meat and bones attract rats so we feed those to the neighbor’s dog or put them in the garbage. If you have a fire pit you can burn these, but be careful about the smell. Sometimes burned bone isn’t that pleasant. The ashes you can just toss in the compost. You can also toss in shredded paper. Just try to avoid glossy magazines and cellophane. Newspaper can be used also. Some people are uncomfortable using paper because of toxins in the ink. I use the compost made from paper on ornamental plantings and not my vegetable beds.

Once you get your compost pile built, it does take a little maintenance. Make sure that it doesn’t dry out by soaking it with the hose on occasion. You’ll also need to turn it in order to keep the oxygen flowing to the microbes breaking it down. I turn mine about once a week. You’ll see a lot of advice on how to layer your debris – don’t sweat it. I never layer mine and everything turns out fine.

It’s amazing how fast your pile will rot. I can get finished compost anywhere between two weeks to a month, depending on what’s in there. When I turn the compost I move it to the next bin. By the time it reaches bin three it is usually ready to go into the wheelbarrow and out on the beds. It’s a little work, I’ll admit. But it’s a lot cheaper than buying it, that’s for sure. Plus I know exactly what’s in it and am not contributing to an overflowing landfill. A win-win!