In an effort to be green

So, I’m thinking of starting a compost pile in our backyard. We used to have a compost pile when I was a little girl, and we even had a garden.

Actually, one of the reasons I want to start a compost pile is because I’d like to have a garden. But first things first.

The compost pile, it is complicated.

There are various containers in which to put a pile of compost, and some things I read suggested two containers for easy transferring to facilitate the process of breaking down the materials. Then there are suggested percentages of “green” and “brown” trash, and I’m still not clear on what constitutes “green” and “brown” compost. Apparently one also needs to make sure the food particles added to the pile are hidden in the middle of the pile so that one’s backyard does not become a haven for the neighborhood dogs, cats, squirrels, raccoons, rats, and coyotes. (I’m not sure we have coyotes here in the city, but all I really care about is NOT EVER inviting the rats in or remotely near my house.) When just starting the pile, where am I supposed to hide the food items?

Some of the items on the list of “materials to add to your compost pile” make me wonder where I will find such things. Wood ashes? Manure? Seaweed? (We don’t have a fireplace – we live in Texas. We own no cattle – even though we live in Texas. We live far, far away from the ocean.) Plus, it seems a lot of bagged grass clippings and leaves will be necessary components of the compost pile. I wouldn’t say we have “a lot” of leaves in our yard…ever. And how do I tell the poor boy across the street who just began mowing our yard and is having a hard enough time motivating himself to work in our expansive yard in the heat of a Texas summer that he needs to invest in a bag for his mower and start adding grass clippings to our compost pile?

Oh wait. Well, we don’t actually have the compost pile yet. Now we’re back to the initial question: what container to use for our compost pile? Also, it might take quite some time for the refuse to become actual compost fit for using in a garden, all depending on the air flow and heat. Speaking of heat, do I really need to buy a “compost pile thermometer” to ensure my trash is cooking at the most appropriate temperature?

I sure don’t remember all this detailed instruction from my composting days in childhood, although I was probably not that bothered by composting details when I was seven years old. I remember a wooden-fenced bin and dumping kitchen scraps in every once in a while…that’s about it.

So, if any of you would like to ease my mind by informing me on the simplest way to begin a compost pile, I would much appreciate it.

In the mean time, I think I will tackle other yard adventures such as hacking down the giant ugly weed in our canna bed that my sister-in-law used to fondly refer to as “Jack and the Beanstalk” but which is now more like a medium-sized tree.