Apartment Composting: How to Get Started

Apartment composting is not an oxymoron. When new gardeners think of composting, the image that comes to mind is a farmer on a large property turning over a smelly pile of manure. It may be hard to fathom that you can achieve similar results in your apartment kitchen, but it can and should be done. With compost, you can grow some of your own food in container gardens or outside if your landlords gives you permission to plant in the backyard. Houseplants can also benefit from compost. You don’t have to hire a composting service either, because there’s a simple way you to do it all on your own.

Buy a Worm Bin

The best option for any apartment composting is to use a worm bin. Some worms are beneficial to your garden. If you were gardening outdoors in a garden bed, you would welcome and love to have certain worms in your soil. They decompose organic matter, which in turns makes the soil rich with nutrients, which in turn produces strong and healthy plants.

Worm bins mimic what happens outside naturally. The bins come with earthworms, red wigglers or white worms. The worms eat the materials and produce worm castings, which is the term used for worm excrement. Castings produce rich compost in the bins that are used to “feed” the worms organic materials. For example, you can put a worm bin under the kitchen sink, where it’s dark and cool. After eating, or during meal preparations, throw fruits and vegetable kitchen scraps in the worm bin. You’ll end up with great compost to use for soil later.

Where to Buy Worm Bins

Many online retailers sell worm bins. Any garden supplies store that specializes in organic gardening sells them, or could order one for you. They tend to be tougher to find locally in some areas, but not so much in larger metro areas. You can also find do-it-yourself plans on the Internet to make your own. Be sure to choose the right materials, so that you don’t cause your apartment to smell or attract many flies.

How to Overcome Challenges with Apartment Composting

Flies love rotting food, which is primarily what your apartment composting consists of. They can make their way into worm bins and lay eggs, and you’ll have a huge problem on your hands. One way to avoid a fly problem is to create a paper barrier between the organic material and the lid. When you’re ready to throw food in, lift the paper, and then cover it again when you’re done. This keeps the flies from laying eggs and spreading more flies.

The other issue with apartment composting using worm bins is that you have to take care of the worms. You have to keep them alive to do the job that you want them to do. If you leave for an extended period of time, they’ll die with no food. If you travel a lot, then a worm bin is not the best option for your circumstances. You should look for a spinning composter instead, if you have the space.