Podcast 73: Composting for Dummies

by The Meal Makeover Moms on September 22nd, 2009

Meet Don. He’s Janice’s fabulous, funny, and very helpful husband (we have to say nice things about him since he manages our newsletter and podcast and even does our dishes when we’re desperate). We’ve been meaning to have him on Cooking with the Moms for the longest time, and we’re happy to report that this week, we finally booked him for our Composting for Dummies show.

Don is no dummy when it comes to composting.  He learned all about it during a ten-year stint working at a greenhouse in Newton, MA when he was a teen, and he’s been composting ever since.  You should see the Bissex backyard.  Don has two compost bins out there; one that he leaves alone so the scraps have a chance to “cook” and a second that he adds to daily.   He has plenty of important reasons for composting. For starters, it’s great for the environment and cuts down on the family’s garbage.  And he loves how the rich, nutrient-packed composting material helps his garden grow (it actually reduces the need for water).

There’s no doubt Don is a smart cookie when it comes to composting (he’s also a home inspector, but hey, that’s another show).  Ask him what’s AOK for a compost bin and he’ll rattle off a long list — things like coffee grounds, veggie/fruit scraps, grass clippings, and clean paper — and he’ll share another list of no-no’s: animal poo, meat products, and diseased plants like our tomatoes which fell victim to the late blight this year.

By the way, Liz tried composting for the first time this spring and let’s just say between the neighborhood squirrels who attacked the bin in search of food scraps and the mosquitoes that made the bin their summer home, it wasn’t her most memorable summer experience.  But she managed to stick with it thanks to a healthy dose of co-author rivalry!

If you think you might want to try your hand at composting, check out these helpful websitse to get started: Environmental Protection Agency, Composting 101, and VegWeb.  And as always, feel free to post a comment to the blog. We’d love to hear your composting stories — the good, the bad, the cute (check out the critter living in Liz’s bin) and the ugly.  Inquiring minds want to know…

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3 Comments | Filed Under Podcast, Sustainability, Vegetables 

3 Responses to “Podcast 73: Composting for Dummies”

  1. Cindy on September 30th, 2009

    I compost too. My system isn’t fancy….it is a pile in my rural backyard garden. I’ve wanted to pretty mine up a bit. The links gave me some good ideas on what I can do using chicken wire, pallets, snow fencing. Did you buy or create your system?

    I’m sorry about your tomatoes. I’m bummed because mine were slow to ripen. Now they are under cover because we have a frost warning tonight. I’m hoping for a few more red ones before the season ends.

  2. Tina on February 5th, 2010

    Hi Meal Makeover Moms!
    Just had a chance to listen to your podcast on composting and I love it!! You mentioned in the podcast you would put on your website the name of the compost bin that Don likes, but I couldn’t find it. Would you be kind enough to share it?
    Thanks so much and keep up the awesome work!!
    Tina

  3. Meal Makeover Moms on February 5th, 2010

    Hi Tina:

    Here’s what Don has to say about our compost bin:

    The “New Age Composter” is adjustable and has a capacity of 24 cubic feet, the equivalent of about 12 bags of leaves. It has a cone-shaped floor and cover, which provide air and moisture to the composting material, requiring a minimum of maintenance while producing compost in about three months.

    http://www.newenglandgreensolutions.com/2009/05/low-cost-compost-bin-massachusetts.html

    Here are the assembly instructions:
    http://ma-needham.civicplus.com/DocumentView.aspx?DID=662

    There are many options for small kitchen bins to store your scraps until you make the trek to the backyard compost bin. Here’s a website that features several:

    http://www.gardeners.com/Compost-Crocks/20707,default,sc.html

    Good luck and let us know how your composting experience turns out!

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