7 November 2015 - Black Gold or The Lazy Composter

I think I have mentioned before that I am a fourth generation organic gardener. In my eyes, the biggest part of that is making compost. Fall, usually November is when it starts. I have a couple of very large maples and an even larger sycamore. When the leaves begin to drop, the process begins. 

First, I get out the blower and make a pile about a foot high. Any higher and the mower chokes. Then I mow. The mower shreds and bags them--convenient! And it so much easier than running piles of leaves through my shredder. 

Because I am mowing, I get lawn clippings with the leaves which is the perfect combination for compost. 


Next I empty bag after bag of gold into the compost bins. 

As I fill the bins I sprinkle the chopped leaves and grass with a little water. Then I cover the bins with small wading pools and wait. In the spring I will run the piles through the shredder and by fall?  

This handful of leaves

has turned into black gold. 

Truth in advertising demands that I tell you I will run the compost in the above picture through the shredder one more time before I use it. That would be ideal. 

If I have the time and energy, I like to turn the piles over at least once and often twice during the process. I like to turn them in the spring after the grass is growing like mad, so I can add more green stuff to the mix which makes it hotter and it cooks faster. 

The lazy composter?  That would be me. I only use leaves and grass clippings.  My yard is full of squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, deer and mice not to mention the occasional skunk. Putting my vegetable leavings out there would amount to setting out a rodent smorgasbord.  I have taken vegetable stuff out, and it is okay if you lift up the leaf matter and tuck it inside, but in the winter I won't do it. It is a too long a walk from the kitchen door, I'd have to break a path through the snow, and like I said: I'm a lazy composter and it works just fine. 

November 10, CLS
It's a good thing I did as much possible in getting leaves clipped and into my compost bins. Many of the trees are still heavy with leaves but...this is what it looks like here today.