Alright. A few days ago I got into a debate with my neighbor about composting (as well as vegetarianism, but I won't get into that).

Her view on it is this: it's not economical for a household to compost. She says that the average household doesn't produce enough garden waste to even have a viable compost pile/bin.

My view: It's worth it, because it helps divert waste from going into the landfills, and reduces a household's ecological footprint. Also, I prefer to make my own stuff with no additional packaging, than getting a five pound plastic bag priced at $5 to $20.

So... is it worth it? I say yes and want other's opinions about it.

I have a problem with paying money for compost ingredients since I have a wealth of materials for free without leaving my property (an average sized city lot). Fall leaves, grass clippings, tree pollen & flowers, spent garden plants, trimmings and ornamental annuals, kitchen waste. It is definitely enough for 4 to 5 large sized piles a year, so tell your neighbor lady she doesn't know what she's talking about.

And yes, I feel good about NOT adding all that to the landfill, not to mention the fuel saved in not transporting it and the plastic bags saved in not bagging it.

I side with the worth it. I actually don't have a ton to compost and compost in a tumbler (just not the room for a pile the way my property sits). However, anything I compost is less in a land fill and better for my soil. My yearly compost is not enough to turn sand into good planting soil, but every little bit helps and over the past few years my soil has significantly improved.

DEFINITELY worth it!! Especially if you raise any type of livestock like rabbits, poultry, cattle, horses. And although we're not vegetarians, vegetables do make up the mainstay of our diet so we always have a lot of scraps.

I've never purchased a bag of compost in my life & can't picture myself ever doing so.

If I didn't think it was worth it I would have saved the time & money to build mine.

I don't bag my grass clippings until the fall when I vacuum up the leaves along with grass clippings, but two of my neighbors now put their clippings in my bin. Neither one has applied weed & feed to their lawns this year so I gladly accept the clippings. All of our kitchen's vegetable scraps & garden waste go in there too, as well as the neighbor's. I just had to explain to them what was acceptable for the pile.

Three different household's kitchen scraps, yard & garden waste turned into one of the best fertilizers for me to use (not to mention the environmental benefits) definitely makes it worthy.

Bob

I think it is worth it even though I don't compost.

I toss all my yard waste out onto the grass and then mow it with our mulching mower so I don't have to water the grass as much.

But I look at mulching as being about the same as composting because the stuff will break down after a while. It just takes it longer is all.

I think its worth it, Mind I don't have livestock and a less than an acre yard.

Near to here is a dairy goat barn who has to PAY to have her manure hauled away. Needless to say she's happy with all I can take and I have agreements with local lawn services for their autumnal leaves.

So there is always enough to compost if you look around you even a little bit.

The surplus-age from any of my gardening needs has done wonders for the lawn.

Ya' know even when I had a batchelor digs. I still filled a 55 gallon drum each year, an' that place had NO yard. The window boxes liked my cold compost well enough. Fill one, one year and then fill the other while the first one rotted down.

Thanks everyone. I know I'm right most of the time with things that I debate about, and I do admit defeat when needed. But the thing is, my neighborhood is mainly the older generation. Like my parents' and grandparents' generation. Not many kids around here, but it's slowly changing.

If anyone keeps up with my blog, I'll post some snippets of this discussion there, as well as some plans and ideas I have to educate my neighborhood about the environment

The only household that doesn't produce enough waste for a compost pile is one that uses no fresh produce!

It is not an option to NOT compost, no matter the size or amount. I have several piles around the garden, discreetly hidden amongst the plants. It will eventually break down.

IMO it's worth it. I don't know what one considers to be an "average household". But there's just DH and I, and we manage to generate enough compostables to keep my garden in compost for each new season.

As far as your neighbor's views...well, they're just that: your neighbor's.

Chris,
All your enthusiasm is contagious. Keep smiling and talking to people about composting. I think there is a switch hidden somewhere in the older generation, that flips on when we see a young person doing positive things and we want to be encouraging and be a part of it (and bake cookies for you).
Sometimes just watching someone else doing great things makes us all proud of ourselves! You are giving these people a chance to learn and be a part of your dreams.

I say if they don't want to compost, have them give YOU all their kitchen and garden waste. Their loss is your gain.

When you (and she) say "worth it", what do you really mean?
Perhaps your neighbor also considers time a factor in the calculation, time spent gathering the stuff, chopping it, turning it, etc.; while probably in her view a quick trip to the store to buy a bag of fertilizer is more economical.

So when you discuss this topic with her again, have some numbers ready on a piece of paper to show her (like actual cost of a bag of fertilizer vs. cost of homemade
compost), because some people understand things better when they see them "itemized" and translated into hard cash. Good luck.

Is it worth it? I ask the same question about strawberries? They get all messed up with weeds and the daughter plants can't take root as the weeding pulls them out. I am going to brambles next year and screw the strawberries.

Anyway about composting?

I have been composting for about 6 months now. I have saved about 30 of these 5 gallon pails of kitchens scraps in that time.




I have added lots of leaf and shredded paper.

Since 2/08 I have accumulated a little less than ONE trash can of compost in various stages of decomposition.

For me I would not compost EXCEPT I am a survivalist and peak oiler and will need to make fertilizer at home with the NG and crude dries up.

So that is why I compost. Not to save the earth but to save my ass so to speak.

My setup is 5 drilled trash cans.



The can on the right has the oldest compost. The can next to it is for compost that is new.The 3 cans on the left have shredded paper and leaves in them. When the short term compost can is aged some I dump it into the can on the right and all the stinky sludge gets all over our hands. No, I would not compost if I didn't feel the need to learn how to do it. And I may add, my compost so far is not that good quality, so it must not be as easy as it sounds.

quote:

They get all messed up with weeds and the daughter plants can't take root as the weeding pulls them out.

Try mulching with straw to suppress the weeds. Why do you think they are called straw-berries?