New Compost Heap
I create food waste. Sometimes I dust crumbs directly into the garden, or lob an old apple as far as possible up the hill. The consequences have so far been zero. But were I to do the same with fish or chicken bones, I fear the consequences would be far more severe.
My former compost heap
Having moved into the house I started collecting old sticks and wood debris from the garden path. I threw this into an area of about 2 X1 meters that I had ring fenced. For several years I dumped any food waste into this heap. When the toilet waste bins had spent a year of letting pathogens died I then emptied that too into this. The heap was just a bit too far from the house for me to use it comfortably. I needed the land it was on for a shed so the time had come for a redesign.
Hot versus cold
On my PDC we discussed the difficulties of hot composting in Greece. The dry climate makes the process more difficult and it requires more movement and an optimal mix to create the reactions that generate the heat. I am not in the house for long enough at a time for this to be possible.
People might not like my idea of throwing anything I want into a pile and hoping nature sorts it out; however up until now it has worked a treat. I have not yet seen any sinister animal invade the compost heap. I think the chicken and fish bones have been either snatched by cats or birds. In all honesty, they can have it.
Positioning
Compost heaps are pretty ugly. My garden is rugged enough without seeing anything decomposing. I don't mind the look myself but I know people around me have opinions on these things. Ideally then the heap should be near enough to the kitchen, but mostly out of sight. I propose the area behind my house for a few reasons.
Non aesthetic
The reason that is neither aesthetic nor convenient of putting the heap here is that it slows water that is running down this stony, soil free path. I have already started forming a little mound to gather silt, but more infrastructure that can hydrate the heap (promoting decomposition) and develop the soil here is better.
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Wouldn't it be beautiful if this patch could have soil developed enough that worms could prosper as they had done under the previous compost heap!
Materials?
Compost heaps are pretty ugly. My garden is rugged enough without seeing anything decomposing. I don't mind the look myself but I know people around me have opinions on these things. Ideally then the heap should be near enough to the kitchen, but mostly out of sight. I propose the area behind my house for a few reasons.