Composting on FOX News Tonight
October 26th, 2010 · 1 Comment · Posted in Sustainability
It's that time of year again
I had something else in mind to post about today but I got a last-minute call from a reporter at the local FOX News affiliate asking if I was available for an interview to talk about composting as a way that average people (not just us crazy food gardeners) can be friendlier toward the environment.
That meant a quick clean-up around the garden and the compost piles. I also raced to setup my leaf shredder, which would be my go-to tool this time of year when we collect the leaves people put at the curb and grind them up for a compost ingredient. I also hauled out the worm bin to the cameraman could get a closeup of our red wigglers in action. Then my stylist insisted on a wardrobe change.
We spent quite a bit of time filming the garden as well as the compost operation. They wanted to know details about how I turn leaves and grass clipping and garden debris and food scraps into our primary form of fertilizer for growing vegetables. I don’t recommend an open-bin system for city dwellers. Best to have some kind of tumbler or contained composting device to deter rats and other vermin. Otherwise, a worm bin will probably handle most of the scraps you generate in our kitchen.
Sadly, even with a three-bin composting system we don’t really generate all the compost we need for our garden–and that includes scavenging grass clippings from landscaping crews and snatching bags of leaves off the curbs. We used to store lots of composting ingredients in trash cans, but I find it’s easier to purchases bales of straw that I can grind of for mulch, then turn into compost later.
I’m told the segment showed air starting around 5:30 this evening here in the D.C. area on FOX News 5.
I have a bin, but I haven’t seen worms in a long time. Are you able to share some worms, if I pick them up?