Here we are 5 weeks later and I have compost!

The only thing, which you can see, that didn't break down are these pieces of old coco liners that I put in.  I can easily pull those out. 

This spinning, tumbling composter was a huge success.  I have already been gathering and setting aside material for my next batch. 

I just thought I would throw in a group shot of all the concrete leaves that I brought home from TN.  This picture gives a good sense of the scale, almost as big as a smooth fox terrier!

I also briefly mentioned my worm composter before and now I have pictures of my new one!

For years I had my worm compost going in a plastic container.  I just drilled holes in a plastic storage container.  I moved my worms from VA to NJ and on to Cincinnati and back to VA.  I've had plans ever since returning to VA to upgrade to a much bigger system.

Because I live in a moderate climate I am able to have the worms outdoors year round.  I made this out of cinder blocks and some wood that I found on the side of the road (thanks neighbor!).  You can see there are two sides. 

How this works is I start out with worms on one side.  Once they have digested all the scraps and bedding and filled it up with lots of worm castings, then I will start over on the other side.

First I will put in fresh bedding and new veggie scraps.  Then I will remove the dividing board.  The worms will migrate over to the new bedding, leaving the castings behind.  I will then reinsert the board, harvest the castings and just continue switching back and forth.  Slick!

Here I have put in wet shredded paper and a little dirt on one side.

On top of the bedding goes the food scraps that I have been collecting and keeping in my freezer.  I just throw the scraps into a bag and put them in the freezer (where they don't stink!)  When the bag is full I will feed it to the worms.

On top of this goes a dry layer of shredded paper or hay.  This will keep down the flies and keep the composter from smelling.

Once I get all the layers ready, then I dig down into the bedding and add the worms.  Just two cups of worms will soon become hundreds of worms.  Worms castings are like black gold in the garden.  They recycle all my veggie scraps, eggshells and shrimp shells.