Am I composting?

Fae

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So, outside I've got an old strawberry container I've been filling with scraps. The container is a recyclable plastic with holes all through it.
In it, I have.. two rotted tomatoes that I smashed up, the used leaves from used green tea bags, the used leaves from a loose leaf tea, used coffee grounds, bad seedlings or excess seedlings, lemongrass trimmings, lilac petals, cut up lemon slices from beverages and a little bit of soil (very small amount).
Is this considered composting? If so, does it work like fertilizer/plant food and when can I use it? Sorry if these are silly questions, I'm a bit new to this.
 
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So, outside I've got an old strawberry container I've been filling with scraps. The container is a recyclable plastic with holes all through it.
In it, I have.. two rotted tomatoes that I smashed up, the used leaves from used green tea bags, the used leaves from a loose leaf tea, used coffee grounds, bad seedlings or excess seedlings, lemongrass trimmings, lilac petals, cut up lemon slices from beverages and a little bit of soil (very small amount).
Is this considered composting? If so, does it work like fertilizer/plant food and when can I use it? Sorry if these are silly questions, I'm a bit new to this.
Yep, that is compost. Just keep adding to it and before too long you will have useable compost. If you have any stale beer or sodas pour that on it and it will help the other stuff decompose faster.
 
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Not at all a silly question! Yes this is composting...but for compost to "heat up" and break down into the crumbly black gold that assimilates right into the soil, ideally you need a pile at least 3x3 feet wide and deep.

But just about any organic waste matter will break down in time and it never hurts to add it to your garden soil.
 
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Not a silly question especially for someone who doesn't compost. Com post is simply the break down of organic matter. So anytime you have food scraps, grass clippings, eggs shells, sea weed, etc. and it begins to break down than you end up with compost. There are many different kinds of compost and compost recipes. You might here some gardeners refer to it as black gold. Hope this helps.
 

Fae

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Thank you everyone for your answers!
 
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I can call this passive composting in which the input of the composter is minimal. Its the most common method of formation of compost from dump sites. We have one behind our toilet and it has formed fine compost. The only problem is that the compost doesn't rot evenly due to the fact that there is no turning to ensure proper aeration.
 
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I have a composter, but it seems like the material doesn't really break down. It mostly consists of lawn clippings. I could put other organic material in there, however, I am a bit afraid that critters could get into the bin, so that stops me from doing it. Something like coffee grounds or maybe egg shells would be perfect to put in there though. My grandparents were farmers, and they used to compost everything.
 
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Have you tried including earthworms in your compost bin? One of my friends had trouble with their bin, and they added a container of earthworms from a fishing store. The worms really helped speed up the process and reduced the smell. I know bugs and worms are pretty gross to some people, but it's worth a try.
 
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My ambition, and I am a little way towards achieving it, is to make my whole allotment a "free-range" wormery, as I believe they are so beneficial for the soil.
 
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