| | | | | Tara Jacoby for The Washington Post | | I have not composted a horse. But Amy Landers has. In this week's Climate Coach column, the founder of Gardens That Matter, an online gardening club, advised me on the latest science of composting. You can do it whether you live in a studio apartment or out in the suburbs. | |  | | Composting is something most people assume they can't (or won't) do. And I get it. I was once a non-composter. I've experienced the potential problems: The smells, the flies, the rats, it's a hassle, no space, an unspoken fear of the unknown. I, too, have battled the fruit fly. But it turns out all of this is avoidable. New technology and services, from sleek appliances to ready-made worm farms, offer an easier way to process your food waste. | | What's the best composting setup for you? In this week's column, I go over the best options, no matter your level of commitment or living situation: A 400-square-foot apartment - Easy: Hundreds of cities or private firms collect curbside composting. GreenBlue, an environmental nonprofit organization, has mapped them out. To find a place near you, try MakeSoil, a nonprofit entity that matches people with food scraps to composting sites.
| - More involved (and expensive): There are slick devices that process food scraps at the click of a button — and prices start at $300. Appliances like the Vitamix FoodCycler, Lomi and Mill grind up scraps and then dehydrate them.
| - Most involved (with side benefits): Small vertical worm farms with several trays fit under the sink or in a closet. Your affinity for the little invertebrates will probably dictate if this is for you. One benefit? It's the world's best houseplant fertilizer.
| | A house with a yard - Easy: The green cone digester is a perforated basket buried a few feet underground. A green double-walled plastic cone sits above it. You deposit food scraps, and trapped heat from the sun and natural organisms in the soil rapidly decompose everything inside.
| - More involved: The Aerobin Composter, an Australian invention, combines the benefits of the large plastic bin — it's hot, self-contained and pest-resistant — with an internal air conduit so that compost receives enough air to keep the microbes happy. One with rave reviews sells for $379.99 at Costco.
| | My choice: - I use a flow-through system called the Urban Worm Farm. It's essentially a large canvas cone hung on a frame. You dump organic matter on top. The worms, which prefer the fresh food on top, migrate up, allowing you to empty mature compost from the bottom over time.
| | Ultimately, I've found the little creatures, once you get to know them, are charming in their own way. Now I can wait as long as two weeks before throwing out the trash. And the compost? Well, you've never grown tomatoes like mine before. | |  | | And did you know I read all your emails? Be part of the Climate Coach community. Write with clever ideas, bad jokes and ways I can make this newsletter better for you at climatecoach@washpost.com. | | Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here to get The Climate Coach in your inbox every Tuesday and Thursday. | | See you on Thursday, Michael Coren, Climate Coach | | | | | | | | | |
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