Patio Composter

Just because you do patio plants, doesn't mean you can't compost. This is mine.

It's a big empty pot I use every year. I start out by chucking weeds, vegetable cutting (like chopped up celery, potato skins, apple peals) into it all summer long.... and then in the fall....




....I have two big planters that I plant annuals in the spring and summer, plus the ones I plant veggies in, when it comes to fall, I remove the dead annuals and tomato plants, and add soil to the compost pot... and stir, and stir..... Notice my cool shovel, that used to be a soup spoon!



As the fall progresses I add more kitchen scraps, more soil from the annual pots, leaves that I rip and crunch up by hand, and more soil.



The soil in the pot never freezes during the winter, because of the heat caused by composting, so I make sure it stays watered (don't need a hose, just chuck a few glasses of water in it every few days!), and I turn and stir the stuff all fall and winter.

By spring, I have a huge pot of composted, vitamin enriched soil!!!!


Deep, dark and rich!!!!

when spring is here, I add a few scoops of the compost soil to all my permanent planters, and for things like tomatoes, I add half bagged potting soil, and the compost.

And in the fall the cycle starts all over again!!!!

Just because you have a patio, like me, doesn't mean your plants can't be happy, and the soil they grow in rich with organic ingredients.

Plus it's so much easier controlling a small compost pile, then one of those huge ones you need to turn with a pitchfork!!!!

Few words of warning.... NEVER add meat to a compost pile. Not a good thing, plus it will call animals from all over to forage in your yard.

Old eggs, shells and all can be used.

Make sure you chop up your left over veggies, the smaller the chopping, the faster it breaks down.

I keep a Tupperware container next to my sink, and as I cook and chop, I just add the chopped up scraps to the container, and seal the lid.

About once a week I take it outside, empty it into the compost pile, and wash the container and put it back by the sink.

I have a lot of long term plants, like blueberry's, and I never have to re pot them because of the compost added each year. They love it!!! And produce huge bumper crops each year!!!

And the tomato's, I swear I can hear them humming in contentment as I add the compost!

Happy plants make good eating!!!!

PS, that pole you see is an old bamboo pole I use to poke holes in the composted soil. this allows air and water to reach to the bottom of the pot, and it just takes a few jabs with the pole each week to reach the bottom of the pot!