compost kamikaze

i would estimate that 30% of our solid waste each week consists of dog poo. and while i like to think that we are a relatively low waste home, seeing poo wrapped in plastic and headed for the landfill has always been unsettling. i am certain this feeling is shared by our canine culprits. after doing some research and hearing some second hand success stories, we finally installed a dog poo composter today.


20 gallon garbage can, bottom chopped off, ventilation holes drilled.


great expectations from these two


choosing the right spot to dig was the big decision of the day. my main concern was limiting the amount of roots i would need to cut, and the thought of blasting through a drain tile never crossed my mind. as i started to hit gravel i was trying to figure out why there would be a drain field 30" below the shed. then i saw some nice thick pieces of clay and had an a-ha! moment. turns out the large retaining wall in back must have a proper drain system, and i just happenend to dig in the one spot (maybe there are 2 or 3 drains, who can know?) where the 4" drain tile runs to a lower drain field, relieving the wall of hydrostatic pressure.


several hours and a trip to the hardware store later, the patch is complete. this might be good practice for when the septic drain collapses....


i threw some gravel in the bottom of the barrel, some grass clippings, a little soil, and a bunch of turds (turds not pictured). we've heard mixed reviews on whether or not septic bacteria or other catalysts will be needed. for now, i'm just going to let it be and hope some worms try to get established.


see the large black lid in front of the bucket? i probably need to put a warning on the lid, while the thought of some kid jumping on this and falling into the soupy surprise below is mildly hilarious, the law suit would not be. hopefully this will be an odorless and fly-less solution and dakota and zeus will look and feel a little less guilty when bombing the yard.


we also assembled a worm bin. not sure if they are going to love the citrus or if i am over feeding them on their first day, but i only want the strong to survive anyway.

the only other exciting thing going on is a leak in our corroded hot water tank. hybrid tank coming soon...