This is a follow up to my post a few weeks ago on my attempt at indoor composting in a bucket. If you haven’t already, you can read the original post here: A Different Way to Compost
This past week, I emptied the buckets into my wheelbarrow to see what had happened since they were put aside. When making compost, there are some things that are easy to pick up on. Like smell. To recap, there were 3 buckets in the garage for some months while a 42 L bin in the basement that I was adding compost to. The buckets all had a slight odour. The bin had a stronger odour, but not unmanageable, and it was a bit too full for there to be sufficient air which is likely what caused the anaerobic conditions resulting in the smell. Once the contents were emptied to the wheelbarrow and aerated, the smell quickly dissipated. Also in the bin were insects. This wasn’t the first time I had seen them, as I had swiped some off the sides and rinsed the lid when adding to the bin so I wasn’t surprised. They didn’t seem to be causing harm and while I don’t know what they were, they were a bit smaller than a maggot and more brown. These were only present in the bin that was kept in the basement as the garage was too cold for insects to survive.
The second thing I noticed was that the green material was mostly broken down. A few avocado skins which are oily and take longer to break down and some woody material, but no signs of lemons or potato peels.
Third, there was substantial water draining off. I had emptied the bottom bucket where water was collecting about a week before emptying the buckets. But, when emptying everything into the wheelbarrow I found more water in the bottom buckets. A dark, clear liquid that is a good sign of water seeping out of food as it breaks down.
This is exactly what I hoped for. The first step of the breakdown is done and now everything has been added to an outdoor compost bin, adequately aerated and tamped down so the microorganisms can continue to work. I topped that section off with some mulch before emptying bokashi buckets on top of that with more mulch (hopefully the mulch will reduce the smell so it doesn’t attract rodents).
Despite the compost not being a finished product from the bin, I can’t say I’m surprised. It’s a small space and aerating really helps in breaking down compost, but a challenge in the winter. This is a promising first step and I’ve started the process again. The ultimate goal is to find a way to compost foods that aren’t suitable for worms in an easy, aerobic manner that doesn’t attract rodents and can be done year round. I may have found a solution. Now that the buckets are empty, I’m starting again and will add more semi-digested compost to my bin in the fall.
If you want to learn more about how to build an indoor bin like this, or how to effectively compost in a similar manner, reach out to me! If you have tips for keeping rodents out of your backyard bin I’d love to hear those too.
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