Comments on: Compost Happens: Creating a Fertile Soil for Your Garden http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/the-living-soil-compost/ The Politics and Practice of Sustainable Living. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:05:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Lo Thamm http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/the-living-soil-compost/#comment-2586 Lo Thamm Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:03:15 +0000 http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/the-living-soil-compost/#comment-2586 Found this article through your Twitter post, thanks. Been more diligent with composting lately and learning a lot. One question my brother brought up has left me wondering. He asked if the non-organic produce we sometimes add to our compost can have damaging affects. For example, the local apples we often use aren't organic - they're grown using IPM. Bananas are sometimes purchased non-organic as well. Would the pesticide residue on such produce linger in the final composted product and pass into the organic crops we'll use it on? As our gardening efforts expand, ideally with time our compost will be made of 100% organic materials. Very curious to hear your thoughts. Thanks in advance. ~Lo http://Twitter.com/north100 Found this article through your Twitter post, thanks. Been more diligent with composting lately and learning a lot. One question my brother brought up has left me wondering. He asked if the non-organic produce we sometimes add to our compost can have damaging affects. For example, the local apples we often use aren’t organic - they’re grown using IPM. Bananas are sometimes purchased non-organic as well. Would the pesticide residue on such produce linger in the final composted product and pass into the organic crops we’ll use it on?

As our gardening efforts expand, ideally with time our compost will be made of 100% organic materials.

Very curious to hear your thoughts. Thanks in advance.
~Lo
http://Twitter.com/north100

]]> By: gbd http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/the-living-soil-compost/#comment-2500 gbd Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:30:32 +0000 http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/the-living-soil-compost/#comment-2500 I hope this covers how to make your compost rat-proof. I became an enthusiastic composter, first using City of Seattle-provided perforated plastic sided barrels. When those broke down, I replaced the sides with dog wire. What I didn't realize was that I was providing a wonderful feeding station for roof rats, who were enjoying the melon rinds, orange peels, and other yummy food bits. After some nasty business with rat traps in the attic and the basement, I figured out what I was doing wrong. Now my kitchen waste goes into the municipal compost pickup, and leaves and weeds into my compost bins. I hope this covers how to make your compost rat-proof.

I became an enthusiastic composter, first using City of Seattle-provided perforated plastic sided barrels. When those broke down, I replaced the sides with dog wire.

What I didn’t realize was that I was providing a wonderful feeding station for roof rats, who were enjoying the melon rinds, orange peels, and other yummy food bits. After some nasty business with rat traps in the attic and the basement, I figured out what I was doing wrong.

Now my kitchen waste goes into the municipal compost pickup, and leaves and weeds into my compost bins.

]]>