Are Two Bins Really Better Than One?

Once they get the hang of composting, many composters run into the issue of having nowhere to store new material while an old pile is breaking down into compost, causing delays between finishing an old pile and starting a new one. An easy solution is to use a two-bin system. With two bins, you’re able to increase your composting capacity and store unfinished compost in one bin and mature compost in the other, allowing for a continuous cycle of composting and easy access to ready-to-use compost. What’s more -- two-bin systems are relatively simple and inexpensive to construct using wooden palettes or spare lumber and chicken wire. 

If you’re ready to take your at-home composting to the next level, a two-bin system may be just what you’ve been looking for. Check out this video to build your own two-bin unit! 

For building blueprints, click here. 

Guest Blogger and UW-Madison Graduate Student Liaison, Kristi O'Conner

Back by Popular Demand!

Need a new compost bin or maybe a second? Have a friend interested in starting backyard composting? Good news! We are hosting a pre-order only Compost Bin Sale! Residents can purchase compost bins and accessories at wholesale prices. 

Order your compost bin before June 18th by visiting: https://hamiltoncompostersale.ecwid.com/. 

You can pick up your bin on  June 27th at the Fifth Third Bank parking lot (5050 Kingsley Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45227). Please note, compost bins will not be available to purchase on June 27.

Do you want to brush up on your composting skills and save money on your new bin? Don't miss our final one-hour "Get the Dirt on Backyard Composting"  webinars of the season on June 15 at 12 p.m. and June 16 at 7 p.m. Those who attend the webinar will receive a $10 off coupon for a compost bin and a digital download of our “Get the Dirt on Backyard Composting” booklet. To register for a compost webinar, click here!

*If you plan to use a coupon, please wait to purchase your bin until after you receive the coupon. All items pre-ordered are guaranteed and must be picked up on June 27.

Items for purchase include: 

Virtual Worm Bin Workshop

Are you interested in learning about worm bin composting? Worm bins are a great way to compost fruit and vegetable scraps year-round and indoors! This year we are hosting a one-hour online workshop with the Civic Garden Center on how to manage your own indoor composter to turn food scraps into valuable fertilizer including how to  harvest vermicompost.

You can choose to purchase a worm bin before or after the workshop and pick it up at the Civic Garden Center.

Date: June 11, 6 – 7 p.m.

Cost: Free for Webinar; Purchase Worm Bin with Worms $43 (must pick up at Civic Garden Center the week of June 15)

Register here!

Guest Blogger, Angela Rivera

Word Savvy Composter?

We are putting you to the test with our Compost Terminology Quizlet! Quizlet is a platform to practice vocabulary terms, so of course we had to create one about composting! Challenge yourself with this matching game! Let us know how you did. 

Try it below! 

Guest Blogger, Angela Rivera

It's International Compost Awareness Week!

Friends, good news, our holiday has arrived. May 3-9, 2020 marks the official...

International Compost Awareness Week!!!

You may say to yourself, "what does this mean?" "How can I celebrate?" 

Well, before you start stringing lights around your compost bin or hiding piles of compost around the yard for your kids to find, here are few more practical ways to celebrate:

1. Spread the Compost Love: shout your love of composting from the rooftops (not literally, that would be dangerous). Share a composting selfie with your bin or your finished compost on social media. Use the hashtag #soillovescompost to connect your post with others around the world.

2. Help a Friend Start Composting: share our upcoming virtual compost seminar classes with your friends and tag a few that you think would enjoy backyard composting. You can find a link to our events on Facebook or on our website. 

3. Give Your Compost Some Attention: step outside and take some time to aerate your compost pile, learn about a new material you can compost, or harvest compost to use in your garden. 

Check out this beautiful poster from Composting Council. Any poster featuring an adorable bee bottom gets two thumbs up from me.

Happy International Compost Awareness Week, composting friends. Compost on!

Can I Compost my Potting Soil?

Last year I made a container garden for my herbs. I planted the seeds with store-bought potting soil and enjoyed them for the season. As I cleaned up my container from last year, I headed over to the compost bin and was about to dump the entire container in, when something caught my eye... those little white balls in the soil. I had no idea what these were or if they could go into my compost bin, since they resemble mini balls of Styrofoam.

So I did some digging... These little white balls found in store-bought potting soil are called perlites. Perlites are naturally occurring minerals found in soil, aiding aeration and drainage for plants. And for our use, YES you can compost them along with your potting soil! 

Guest Blogger and Composting Coach, Angela Rivera

Harvest your VermiCompost

One of the hardest parts about having a DIY vermicompost bin is harvesting. So we created a short video on one method of harvesting the vermicompost. Some quick steps you'll see in the video:

• At least 1-2 weeks before harvesting, start to put your food scraps on only one side of the bin. This will help encourage the worms to migrate to one side of the bin.
• Lay out a tarp for a work space outdoors on a sunny, warm day and grab some gloves.
• From the side without food, grab handfuls of compost and make cone shapes on top of your tarp. 
• Wait at least 15 minutes after you finish making the cones to come back to harvest the compost. This allows the worms to move to center of the cone. 
• Start to pull off the top and outside of the cones, sifting through to see if there are any worms, cocoons, produce stickers, or food not fully decomposed. Put worms you find and food back into the worm bin, and discard any inorganic items.  Put finished vermicompost in a container as you go. 

Here is a quick tutorial video to show you how it is done! 

Guest Blogger and Composting Coach, Angela Rivera