Making dirt (a.k.a. Adventures in Composting)

Bought some materials to start composting today — and, by that, I mean some wire mesh. I'll fashion that into a cylinder and start filling it with equal parts "green" and "brown" materials. Simple enough — especially as fall is in full swing, so there are plenty of "browns" (dried leaves, etc.), which might be hard to come by in other seasons.

It costs $5 to go to the dump here in Montauk. And besides unused veggie bits, coffee grounds, and eggshells, I really don't produce a lot of trash. Most of the other trash I produce can be recycled and it still doesn't amount to much, so I figured I could save some cash by composting — and maybe even give back to the earth a little.

The composting bin in the hardware store was about $100, and plastic — so no way that was the one for me. I found the plans for a beautiful wooden one on Sunset magazine's website. But that would still have cost me some money for lumber and some serious labor. So I opted for the mesh, which will serve the same purpose — keep my compost contained — and only cost about $10.

More to come on this. Stay tuned.