Did the Boogeyman Snatch Your Compost Blogger?

When I was a kid, few things were creepier to me than the idea of a formless creature lurking under my bed ready to snatch me away to a nameless place never to be seen again. Maybe that was the scariest thing about the boogeyman - what does he look like? He can be lurking in any dark quiet place, just watching and waiting… 

But, alas, the Boogeyman never did make an appearance in my childhood, and I can’t use him as an excuse for the absence of this blog either. I’ve just been really, really busy with other waste reduction stuff. So sorry for blogging sabbatical, my fellow composters. I still very much care about you and composting! 

Since I’m here to continue the great Halloween blogging tradition, let me give you composting tips straight from the Boogeyman himself. 

1. Be patient: if the Boogeyman can wait for years quietly peeking from your slightly open closet door you can wait six months while your compost does its thing. Your beautiful, finished compost will be worth the wait. 
2. Remove expectations: No one really knows what the Boogeyman looks like which makes him even scarier. We are left creating the scariest being our own imagination can conjure. In the same way, composting can look different for each person depending on the bin you use, the size of your yard, and what you want to compost. You do you - don’t worry about anyone else. 
3. Involve the children: the Boogeyman steals misbehaving children from their homes (apparently in the 1500’s utter terror was considered a great parenting technique to keep your kids in line). Rather than a scary, permanent, punishment, compost can be a way to foster kids’ interest in biology and the natural world. 

Need more Halloween composting goodness? Here are our past blogs: 

• Fall Composting Tips from a Mummy 
• The Headless Horseman’s Guide to Backyard Composting 
• Compost Lessons from the Swamp Monster 
• Three Reasons Werewolves Make Terrible Composters 
• Compost Ghost 
• Was Frankenstein an Outstanding Composter? 
• How to Practice Compost Witchcraft 
• Compost Like a Vampire 
• Three Warning Signs Your Compost is a Zombie 
• Smashing Pumpkins 

After more than a decade, I am running low on Halloween monsters to give us composting tips. If you love Halloween as much as me, and have some good ideas for next year, suggest them in the comments below. 

Happy Halloween!

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC