Funny composting episode
Posted on Jul 16th, 2007
by 
Interiors For Healing
Interiors For Healing
I started composting on our balcony to reduce our organic matter going to the landfill and to make valuable worm castings for our plants. I made my own compost bin by drilling holes on the bottom of a 10 gallon plastic container, and the lid. A second 10 gallon container collected drainage from the compost. I bought redworms at the nursery. They were small and skinny and looked nothing like the big fat round worms in the pictures. I dumped the worms and dumped a dying sequoia plant and all the soil into my new compost bin. And I started to send my coffee grinds, and even blended vegetable and fruit scraps so that it's easier for my worms to digest. It was going real good, my worms were getting big and fat and I was pleased with my composting experience overall.
Second week into composting, I noticed the water in the compost was not draining properly. I added more shredded paper, and even added more dirt. By the end of the second week, my worms were not moving and the compost smelled really bad. I was discouraged with my progress and emailed a composting expert I met in my Green Business networking group. As I was about to lay down for a nap, I received a clear thought to drain the second container. When we lifted the second container, the smell was beyond horrible. My husband who is my hero in helping me drain the excess water, said it smelled worse than a 10 ft pig poop lagoon! What's funnier is we had to bring the second container full of stagnant compost water inside our home to flush it down the toilet. It made our whole home stink! We laughed, lighting incense, cleaning the bathroom with peppermint hemp castille soap and spraying everything with eucalyptus essential oil.
In our efforts to reduce methane, I created the worst smell of my life. I was reminded of Lao Tzu, who once said that if we wanted to shrink something, we must first let it expand. By sunset, a double rainbow appeared over our balcony. I took it as a message from the elements that nature will do its part to help me. Sunday we had beautiful sunshine to dry out the methane and my husband turned the compost several times.
Today, on Monday, my compost smells like dirt, and my worms are alive. It really is a miracle.
Second week into composting, I noticed the water in the compost was not draining properly. I added more shredded paper, and even added more dirt. By the end of the second week, my worms were not moving and the compost smelled really bad. I was discouraged with my progress and emailed a composting expert I met in my Green Business networking group. As I was about to lay down for a nap, I received a clear thought to drain the second container. When we lifted the second container, the smell was beyond horrible. My husband who is my hero in helping me drain the excess water, said it smelled worse than a 10 ft pig poop lagoon! What's funnier is we had to bring the second container full of stagnant compost water inside our home to flush it down the toilet. It made our whole home stink! We laughed, lighting incense, cleaning the bathroom with peppermint hemp castille soap and spraying everything with eucalyptus essential oil.
In our efforts to reduce methane, I created the worst smell of my life. I was reminded of Lao Tzu, who once said that if we wanted to shrink something, we must first let it expand. By sunset, a double rainbow appeared over our balcony. I took it as a message from the elements that nature will do its part to help me. Sunday we had beautiful sunshine to dry out the methane and my husband turned the compost several times.
Today, on Monday, my compost smells like dirt, and my worms are alive. It really is a miracle.
Access: Public
compost
August 2007