Beginning Composting And Working Toward A Sustainable Lifestyle

Disclaimer: Grandma Bonnie's Closet was not compensated for the review of this product. I received a free product in exchange for an honest opinion. The opinions in this post are all mine.

I have always wanted to start composting. We had a few failed starts at composting over the years. I had set aside a covered pail under our kitchen sink to hold our vegetable peels, egg shells, coffee grounds and so forth. One of the problems we had was the smell would start to gather gnats even though the pail was not even near full. 
I have since found the solution to the smell and gnat problem. Thanks to www.gaiam.com I received a Ceramic Kitchen Crock to take my composting to the next level. 

This compact counter top crock holds up to one gallon of kitchen scraps. The glazed interior will not stain or hold odors. The carbon filter in the lid will also help prevent odors and gnats. My favorite feature of the Kitchen Compost Crock is that it looks beautiful sitting on my kitchen counter. With the crock sitting at eye level I won't forget to use it or empty it into my compost pile. 
What should I put in my compost crock?
Most table scraps can be collected. Vegetable and fruit peels, coffee grounds, paper coffee filters, tea leaves, tea bags, and eggshells.  Just stay away from adding meats or fats.

How to start a compost pile.
1. Put down a layer of straw or twigs on bare earth. This will allow worms and other organisms access to your compost. 
2. Alternate moist and dry materials in layers. The moist layer would be from your kitchen scraps. The dry layers would be straw, leaves, wood ashes, and sawdust.
3. Add green manure such as grass clippings and clover. This will add nitrogen and speed the process along.
4. Keep the compost pile moist. Either water of allow rain to water your pile.
5. Turn every few weeks with a shovel to aerate the compost. The added oxygen will complete the process. 

I am very happy with my ceramic crock and will be using it for years to come. Just taking one more step to a sustainable lifestyle.
I hope you get started on composting. The Ceramic Kitchen Crock was $42.00 but is now $25.00. So it's a great time to start composting with your own Ceramic Kitchen Crock. 
Happy Composting!