After patiently searching for weeks, I finally got a composter. As you may recall, I started a compost pile in the back yard about 6 weeks ago. About a week after that, I found an empty potting container in the back yard and I moved the pile into that.
I haven’t had an extra $200 bucks lying around to buy a brand new composter, not to mention, I didn’t want all the waste that comes from something new. I had gotten into the habit of looking for a used one on Craigslist every week, but the ones I would find were still out of my budget (around $70-$100) and really far away.
Earlier this week, I got the LetGo app so I could try my luck with that and I found a composter for $10 near Dodger Stadium. Now Dodger Stadium is not around the corner from Orange County, but my partner and I drive out to Los Angeles to visit our families every Sunday, so it wouldn’t be that much farther from where we usually go. Plus, we got to visit my sister, which we never do because it’s so far. Yay for consolidating trips.
The awesome couple that sold us the composter also gifted us with some worms and a sprinkler timer. They showed us their garden, chickens, and gave us lot of tips on gardening and composting. I was surprised by how they made everything fit in their small back yard. Their passion and creativity really made me feel like I could do it too.
That feeling came in handy when it came to the worms. Honestly, anything slimy creeps me out. When I decided to compost, the decision on whether or not to add worms was an easy hell no. But they assured me it was easy and that it would make the compost better so I accepted. Like a lot of things lately, it felt like a big deal and it really wasn’t.
We got home after it was dark and assembled the composter with a flashlight, dumped the pile of compost inside and dumped the worms on top. Ok, I didn’t dump them on top, Luis did. It made me glad that we started compiling a pile weeks ago, so those crazy worms will have something to eat.
2019 Update: The worms left shortly after we added them to the pile. Our compost pile in the beginning was nasty and stinky. I don’t blame them. Once we learned how to manage the pile, the earth worms returned on their own.
The last thing that I found notable about the experience was my sister and dad didn’t know what a composter was. I assumed that it was pretty mainstream, but they both had never heard of composting. They’re both smart people, but it got me thinking about how ideas spread. I find that I like to talk to people who are different from me because it introduces me to basic ideas for them, that I’ve never heard of. I also like learning things from people I like, because it makes it easier to accept.
Just like the people that sold us the composter. Hearing from someone who’s tried it and seeing how it’s working for them makes me want to try, even if it’s way outside my comfort zone. Hopefully after seeing me compost, my family members won’t think it’s so weird and will be compelled to try it as well.
2019 Update: Yea, still the only one composting in the family
Now that we have that situation sorted out, I’m hoping to get more seeds in the ground this week. I ordered some cilantro, loofah and lavender seeds and they finally arrived last week. I planted the cilantro in a container on Saturday. I most excited about the homegrown loofahs so I don’t have to buy dish or bath sponges. We shall see how it goes.
2019 Update: You wanna know how it went? Nothing I planted grew! Growing things successfully from seeds would come once I learned what time of year you plant something really matters.
May 15, 2016
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