Word of the Day

[mathhobbit]

Compost

I've put stuff in every other week for 10 years.  I've taken stuff out maybe 3 times.  How does that work?

Comments

[mathhobbit]

No, I haven't taken much out at all. Apparently it takes a while for banana peels to turn into dirt. By the time the compost was ready to be removed I had lost interest.

So I guess your second explanation accounts for a really huge volume of material. It's mind boggling.

[kelkyag]

Eventually, yeah, there's not much left. (Big/commercial composting operations can make it go much faster, by seeding the compost with microorganism, keeping it warm, and managing its moisture level, but the slow way is just fine.) If one's actively using one's compost, I think it gets added to the dirt while there's still a good bit of not-yet-broken-down cellulose in it, and that helps hold water in the soil.

I find the other side of the process, where a redwood tree builds itself out of a gas and a fluid and some sunlight and a few minor odds and ends, even more mind boggling. :)

[mathhobbit]

I see your point.