Back in 2004, my husband, my son and I were fortunate enough to be able to attend Convergence 10 in Chicago. C10 was a great Convergence, like all conferences it had it's share of drama, but we still enjoyed ourselves immensely. I taught a pearl-knotting class there, and met a ton of incredibly interesting people. One of those folks, Stevil Chemist, was part of the organizing committee, and we still keep in (occasional) contact on Facebook.
Mr. Chemist is a science-y, vegan, globe-trotting bicycling enthusiast with a very courageous juicing palette. That's just some of what/who is, and I have no doubt there is much more to discover about him for those who can get him to sit still long enough to share a hot beverage and some interesting conversation. In any event, he posted on Facebook about a GREAT idea for apartment/small space composting idea.
Many of you know we have moved around a bit lately, and one of the things I have gotten interested in recently is "green walls"--more on that in another post--and small space gardening. Needless to say, Mr. Chemist's post was timely and very intriguing! I am not sure if this is his innovation or not, but he dehydrated his composting material before running it through the blender. I haven't heard back from him yet, but it seems he bought a large roaster (pan?) from a thrift store for the project.
Drying it first would obviously reduce size, but also make storing in an small space easier and draw far fewer vermin. Pulverizing it in the blender will render it usable SO MUCH faster than letting it breakdown over the course of a growing season. I am no gardening specialist, but I am guessing all you'd have to do is mix it in with your potting soil at this point. Any of you gardeners out there, please feel free to chime in on the pros and cons of this composting method. Please!
How smart is that?!? WTG, Mr. Chemist, and thanks for sharing!
***Edit: Just got permission from Mr. Chemist to use his quote and photo from Facebook:
Mr. Chemist is a science-y, vegan, globe-trotting bicycling enthusiast with a very courageous juicing palette. That's just some of what/who is, and I have no doubt there is much more to discover about him for those who can get him to sit still long enough to share a hot beverage and some interesting conversation. In any event, he posted on Facebook about a GREAT idea for apartment/small space composting idea.
Many of you know we have moved around a bit lately, and one of the things I have gotten interested in recently is "green walls"--more on that in another post--and small space gardening. Needless to say, Mr. Chemist's post was timely and very intriguing! I am not sure if this is his innovation or not, but he dehydrated his composting material before running it through the blender. I haven't heard back from him yet, but it seems he bought a large roaster (pan?) from a thrift store for the project.
Drying it first would obviously reduce size, but also make storing in an small space easier and draw far fewer vermin. Pulverizing it in the blender will render it usable SO MUCH faster than letting it breakdown over the course of a growing season. I am no gardening specialist, but I am guessing all you'd have to do is mix it in with your potting soil at this point. Any of you gardeners out there, please feel free to chime in on the pros and cons of this composting method. Please!
How smart is that?!? WTG, Mr. Chemist, and thanks for sharing!
***Edit: Just got permission from Mr. Chemist to use his quote and photo from Facebook:
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hmmm...it seems to be all I can do to take a box of stuff out to the backyard...I may give this a shot though. It seems about on par with being kind enough to yourself to clean the blender immediately after you use it...and then you have to clean the blender...and the roaster. oy. I need a nap!
ReplyDeleteI look at it as a question of when and how you want to do the work. If you would rather go out to the stinky pile in the back yard, or the balcony in the case of apartments, and you can trust yourself to keep it churned/rotated so that it all works like it's supposed to, that's cool. Normal composting is for you. If you would rather shove it in the oven for a few hours on a low heat while you do other stuff, then leave it alone for another hour while it cools, etc. The whole process may take hours, but it's really only a minute or two of actual attention required, and then it's ready for you when you are ready for it!
DeleteCleaning the blender is no biggie. Just run some hot water in it--filled about a third of the way or so--and then whir it around with a drop of soap in it until the bubbles get up to almost the top. Rinse it out, turn it over on top of it's base to dry, and it's done in 30-60 seconds.