Second shot at composting in my new compost container. Ill spare you guys the photo of the first try. Moldy strawberries and eggshells are not very attractive. Here are five lessons learned from the failure:
1. Sometimes it doesn't pay off to jump right in. Usually this is how I operate. Spare me the details, just tell me what I need to do to get started. This mentality has proven not to work in the gardening sector. Informed baby steps are what I'm now practicing these days... At least when it comes to vegetables.
2. Citrus is a no-no. All those orange peels, lemon wedges, and peach skins I was shoving into the container really aren't the best thing for the soil. They make the pH all screwy.
3. Here's the kicker: you have to start with soil. Okay for all you gardening geeks out there, please don't laugh. I had no clue that I would have to start by putting some dirt in my bin. Makes perfect sense looking back on it...
4. Balancing dry & wet. So if your compost gets a little dry, add something a little damp. If it gets too moist, add some newspaper shreds. Simple. And probably would have staved off all that mold in round 1.
5. Stir the pot. I usually like to stir the pot, but not so much in this case. I just really want to put the lid on it and forget about it. But I guess sometimes you gotta make sacrifices to get the results you want.
There you have it, 5 things I've learned about composting. It's a start.
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