A Beginner’s Guide to Starting a Compost Pile

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I’ve always had a big interest in protecting our planet.  I started small by learning to recycle when I was a kid, participated in local neighborhood cleanups, graduated to making my own household cleaners as an adult, upcycled objects in my home to now learning how to grow a  garden.

I’ll admit, I’m intimidated to grow vegetables. But, so far, so good. Everything is alive and thriving! ??

My kids received organic vegetable seeds in their Easter baskets this year, along with a shovel, cultivator and gloves, so they, too, can learn how to garden. We started our seeds indoors in a tiny greenhouse and just days after planting the seeds, some of them sprouted.

As we wait for our plants to get bigger, the kids and I have been learning about other ways take care of the Earth.

Last week, I bought these adorable animated ebooks about the environment. They’re called Eco Boys and Girls series by Maria Snyder and the books are for children ages Pre-K to Third Grade.

Each individual book features the five Eco Boys and Girls characters: Ernie Earth, Lulu Love, Patsy Peace, Ray Recycle, and Sammy Sun.

The animated, read-aloud books encourage the children to interact with them. Questions are asked and children can’t help but learn how to become better citizens. It’s great to see my 5-year-old enjoy herself while being educated beyond the classroom.

Interactive learning spreads are integrated into each book, which engages children in several lessons on how to become better citizens.

While reading one of the books, Eco Boys and Girls Learn About Energy, my daughter said “Mom, these books are fun. Can we read all of them tonight?”

For the record, we only read two before bed that night, but it gave her something to look forward to for next time.

Hearing her ask that just made me smile.  She also said, “I’d like to be friends with Lulu Love. She seems sweet.”

Eco Boys and Girls is an educational organization that creates child-friendly, engaging books and other learning materials to reach the youngest educable age group. While reading the series, children will takeaway important lessons on ways to protect the Earth and taking care of each other.

The goal of the organization is to engage families around the world to be connected to each other and the Earth and to empower them to learn about the environment and explore creative new ways to live in harmony.

Eco Boys and Girls works with leading organizations in education, like the National Education Association, Association of Children’s Museums, and more; and are reaching international spaces through the United Nations and global peace building organizations.

Earth Day is coming up on April 22, and what a treat it would be for your kids if you surprised them with this series.

The series is available on iTunes and they’re made for iBooks. There are 6 books in the series and it costs $5.99 per book.

While reading Eco Boys and Girls Go to an Organic Farm, we learned about natural fertilizer for a garden. As the virtual pages were turning, my preschooler turned to me and said “You know, mom, we should do that for our garden.”

I’ve never composted before but I knew it was something we needed to do.

Reasons to Consider Composting:

• It’s easy and low-maintenance.
• It’s an all-natural way of improving your lawns and gardens.
• It can save money.
• It helps the environment.

Starting a home compost pile is easier than you think and can cost almost nothing to get started. It’s so low-maintenance that it can require as little as five minutes per week.

Depending on the size of your pile, you can have finished compost anywhere from one month to one year.

The type of bin, seasonal temperatures, moisture levels and browns-to-greens ratio, all are factors in how long it will take to have finished compost.

Checklist for Starting a Compost Pile:

• Greens
• Browns
• Water
• Air
• Shovel
• Pitchfork
• Container: homemade or store-bought

My family and I picked up our container (at a huge discount!) at our state’s recycling center. It’s plenty big enough and is a FreeGarden Earth compost bin. Be sure to check with your local recycling center for a special discount or helpful information.

I also bought a kitchen compost bin to put under the sink for all of fruit and vegetable peelings and tea bags, coffee filters etc.

Once, you have your bins or area in the yard, you’re ready.

Check out my below quick reference guide for what  you can and can’t compost.

Print it out and hang it on your fridge as a helpful tool for your family.

>> What You Can and Can’t Compost

Totally doable, right? While it seems like there’s a lot to remember, once you get started you’ll be a pro in no time.

How do you plan to celebrate Earth Day this year?