I’ve been composting indoors for years – both vermicomposting and bokashi. I endeavour to not throw any food stuff in the commercial compost / waste stream. But, composting outdoors in winter is tough. Especially trudging through knee deep (or deeper) snow to get to the bin, which will inevitably attract things one doesn’t want in their yard. One year, I stored food waste in my freezer to add to my outdoor bin in the spring. That got a bit messy and smelly as I waited for everything to thaw and could remove it from the bucket. Alas, each year is a new venture to figure out how to get everything properly composted.
Each fall, I would ensure my compost bin was full to maintain heat as long as possible. In the spring, I would empty it as soon as Mother Nature allowed and what wasn’t broken down would go back in for another round of composting, along with whatever else is available and some bokashi buckets. Last spring, though, when I pulled the bin up the first thing I saw was rodent poop on the top of the pile. Not from a mouse either. And since I had no idea where the rodent had been in the pile, everything went back in for another round of composting to kill any bad bacteria present. Later that year, in the summer, a mouse ran away when I lifted a bin up to turn the pile.
It is widely known that Ottawa has a rodent (mainly rat) problem and I can no longer tell myself “they’re not in my backyard”. On top of that, I don’t want to be the one on the street attracting them to the area. So, I needed a new plan.
A smaller bin
I figured that since composting could be done in a large plastic bin without a bottom so liquid could drain away, maybe it could be done in a small plastic bin that would also allow the liquid to drain away. There are three parts to building a compost pile (bucket) – green material (kitchen waste), woody material (mulch) and starter (vermi-compost). In theory, there really isn’t any reason this shouldn’t work. So, I started with two 5 gallon buckets stacked. The top bucket had holes in the bottom for liquid to seep off, the bottom was to catch the liquid and reduce any odor that might attract things to my garage. The bucket ended up being very similar to a bokashi bucket. Each time I added a bin of kitchen waste (no meat, dairy or fats, and mostly things worms can’t eat), I combined it with an appropriate amount of pre-soaked mulch and some finished vermi-compost. Covered lightly and left undisturbed until the next week. With each addition of new inputs, I would stir the whole pile. Adding the appropriate ratios with each addition should allow the pile to remain aerobic and continually breaking down.
Monitoring it
The first few bins were moved to the garage late in the fall and left as is for the winter. They will likely freeze, but there hasn’t been a smell yet, so I will need to check on them. One large one is in the basement and getting rather full. But, the process seems to be working. Sure, there might still be a half lemon and the mulch is still mostly whole but that’s to be expected. There is a slight odour, meaning some anaerobic activity is going on but it isn’t overpowering. I’ve emptied the bottom bin as there has been significant water seeping off (a good sign) but the pile is still moist. There are always water droplets on the lid, indicating heat is coming off and the pile feels warm to touch. One downside is that there appears to be very small maggots or another insect larvae present. I remove them by rinsing the lid or swiping the top of the bin. This is to be expected even without meat or fat because there is food breaking down.
Next steps
Now that spring is here (maybe) and composting can be moved back outside, I’m curious to empty these bins and see what’s going on. Before dumping them all into a compost bin, I’m going to start with sifting them over the wheelbarrow and document my findings. Will I find an insect infestation? Or beautiful, finished compost to add to my garden? How much biology will be present? Will it be aerobic or anaerobic? And finally, how can this be improved for next year? Even if I only get broken down kitchen waste that has some aerobic and very little anaerobic microorganisms present, it will be a step in the right direction. Without the smell, it won’t attract rodents. And no matter how good your compost pile, fresh potato peels or overripe mangoes always smell and animals know it. If I can just by-pass this step, and leave it outside for the summer for finished compost in the fall, that will be a success.
Stay tuned for how this works out and what improvements can be made.
Leave a Reply