How am I doing?

Pictures show the progress of my in ground pile from start about a month ago to today.

I learned about composting while perusing my city’s waste management website and seeing they have a paid composting program. I wanted to reduce waste sent to the landfill but also didn’t want to pay for a service when I have ample space and ingredients at home. So I found this sub and looked into tumblers, one of which I got last summer. I had a hoot filling it to capacity, then going back the next week and doing it all over. It was a black hole of rubbage, how neat! I got so acquainted with the black soldier fly larvae that anytime someone here asked what they were, I knew!

About a month ago I started looking into inexpensive and easy pile builds to expand my capabilities. I came across a post about digging a hole in the ground and calling it a day. Easy! Cheap! So my husband dug a hole for me, and I got cedar fence planks to hopefully maintain its shape (our land is on a slight slope and the pile would likely get some deposition from the right side when it rains). Decided to put some rocks around it, and plants too. Turns out I got plants the deer like, so I replaced their scant remnants with an iris (the only other plant we have around that the deer haven’t bothered).

I dumped what was still in the tumbler over the winter. We have an effectively infinite supply of leaves that I’ve been slowly adding along with kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, and last year’s grass clippings. I’m adding things to it clockwise to give things time to simmer. I guess by the time I get back around to where I started, that part will be done. The only thing I haven’t done is add pee (my husband would be better suited, but he hasn’t to my knowledge).

I water it when it looks dry and turn with a pitchfork when I think about it. I haven’t harvested any of it, even from the tumbler, but will eventually get a sifter and see what I can get out of it. I’d love to add some good stuff to the parts of our yard that need it, but I’m also happy just having a place to put my organic waste that isn’t a landfill (hence not caring enough to make a fancy or expensive build). I want to surround it with more plants but need to do more research on perennials that will last in my zone and with deer, and preferably native (a different question for a different sub).

How am I doing?