Coatepec, Mexico
18:10
We produce a lot of organic waste in this kitchen. We shed orange peels, veggie skins and all sorts of "waste" that could be beautiful compost. This was always the intention, but until I got here everything was dumped into a big pile outside the back yard. It was sitting in a ditch, definitely rotting, but definitely super stinky. My goal was to create an aerated compost pile using minimal materials and a simple design. I took photos of each stage so you can see the development of the plot. After a few days, I haven't seen much change in the pile's makeup nor heat production. But I think it just needs a little more time and a little more biomass before it gets some serious momentum.
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| Compost Stage 1 This is what the area looked like before I did anything to it. It was basically a big heap of fruit skins, sticks and garbage that neighborly neighbors had contributed. It stank pretty badly because it was rotting in a puddle, creating anarobic decomposition. It smelled like really stinky booze. The next picture shows the contour of the land. |
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| Compost Stage 2 I had originally chosen this spot to build because it was slightly higher than the surrounding area. Although, as you can see by the way the stones sit that it was still concaved into a dip. I was also interested in using the tree as one of my four post supports. |
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| Compost Stage 3 I decided to put the extra sticks to use. I needed some material to fill in the hole. I figured they'd compost down into a nice platform underneath the stones. I placed the long ones horizontally and the shorter ones vertically to create a sort of mat. |
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| Compost Stage 4 I then used the extra soil around the area along with a small amount of compost to fill in the spaces between sticks. And I lined the perimeter with large stones to establish my boundary. |
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| Compost Stage 5 Once I finished the perimeter I filled in the rest with larger stones. Then I swept sand and gravel over the top of those to create a more level surface and better drainage. |
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| Compost Stage 6 The next step was to prepare my bamboo posts that I had stolen *ahem* found. (They won't miss them). I sharpened the ends as best I could and pounded them into two of the corners. Next, I used placed the large tree branch I had also "found" across the street and tied the top of it to the tree above for stability. |
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| Compost Stage 7 Sorry about the poor picture quality. My camera wouldn't focus on the fencing. Here you can see the end product with the chicken wire attached to the posts. I stretched it fairly tight to add strength to the structure. The entire area is quite large and has plenty of room to create a large compost batch. |
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| Compost Stage 8 As a final touch, I added a ramp to the compost area. If I become motivated I may finish the area out with more rocks around the neighborhood. I think it would be nice not to have to step in the mud every time I turn the compost pile. |
After all that fun stuff I still had two bamboo pieces left; one fat one and one skinny one. Shayla wanted a free-standing staff to dance for her birthday party tomorrow. So I fitted the skinny one inside the fatter one for extra strength and dropped it down into an old water jug filled with sand from the empty lot across the street.
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| Sand in the base makes it fairly sturdy. |
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