How I compost in the City

So living inner city space is pretty limited, we also rent so setting up the structure of a traditional three section compost garden doesn't really work for us, plus there is the beagle who loves smelly stuff (we learn't that the hard way). So to compost our kitchen waste we have multiple options. If we had one spot we would never get the compost as you need to give each one a break to allow everything to compost down.

The Worm Farm

Firstly we have the worm farm, this is the first thing I bought to start my composting as it's relatively beagle proof. This is just a 'can o worms' which I picked up from Bunnings for under $100. All the scraps are contained within the barrel and it has multiple layers that allow you to move the worm castings around the garden once the worms have finished, a tap at the base that allows excess moisture to drain out (the leachate is NOT GOOD for your garden so throw it somewhere not important). It doesn't take up much space, and I put it under a tree for protection from the sun. You have to be careful that you don't over feed the worms and you have a good balance of bedding materials (newspaper, cardboard), and also that you don't give them onions or citrus as it can make the farm too acidic which the worms don't like. If you want to learn more about composting worms and how to care for them check out my ebook here or join Dirt Lovers to get full access to all my premium resources.

The Tumbler

Our tumbler was purchased more so because it's Beagle proof, however this thing is great. In the summer time, we get compost in 4 weeks once you stop adding to it (and providing you don't put in big branches). These tumblers can get pretty expensive (upward of $300) but this one we scored for $99 from Bunnings. Essentially you add your kitchen scraps and tumble it around. Make sure it's moist and if it starts to stink I chuck in a handful of sugar cane mulch. The best thing about this is we can add our prawn shells, tumble it and there is no stench (and they are packed full of nutrients to feed the compost).

Worm Tower in the garden

This is a new purchase for our composting needs. It's a worm farm that is essentially buried in your garden so you don't have to distribute your castings and your plants get instant benefit from the worm poo/wee and kitchen waste. I am planning on getting a few of these around the garden. I actually saw something on a garden show and went looking to go DIY as it's so simple, a tube with holes in it, but then we saw how cheap the commercial one was (under $20) so grabbed it.

Future plans for composting

I want to get some different varieties of worms (so Nathan has a source to get fishing worms). I also want to try out the Bokashi method as well, which is fermenting. How do you compost your kitchen waste? Would love if you could leave a comment below.