Can we talk about the conversation with my FIL that made me rethink my whole compost setup

My father in law came over last Saturday and saw my open pile in the backyard. He said "you're just feeding the rats and wasting effort" - he was right in a way. He showed me his tumbling bin from a place in Portland that processes 50 gallons in like 3 weeks. Now I'm wondering if I should just scrap my whole system and start fresh.

3 comments

3 Comments

tara6421mo ago

Your FIL isn't wrong about the rats, that's the biggest headache with open piles. I switched to a closed bin system a few years ago after the same exact talk with my neighbor and wish I'd done it sooner. The tumbling bins are nice but I went with a stationary compost bin that has a locking lid and a bottom hatch, cost me about 60 bucks and keeps everything contained. If you do decide to keep your open pile, at least bury your kitchen scraps under a thick layer of browns or use a rodent-proof enclosure with hardware cloth.

taylorshah1mo ago

Burying kitchen scraps under a thick layer of browns is what saved my pile. I started layering a full foot of shredded leaves and straw on top every time I added food waste. That alone cut down the rat visits by like 80%. Also lined the bottom of my pile with hardware cloth buried a few inches into the ground so nothing digs up from underneath.

ray_martinez821mo ago

So basically a rodent fortress with salad on top. Nice.