Compost from Hell

Some of you may remember back in 2009 when I purchased an indoor compost kit called The Bokashi Cycle. Early on in this experiment, Scott and I discovered that "indoor" was not really a good idea since the "pleasant pickled smell" it was supposed to emit was not at all pleasant.

So I would collect kitchen scraps during the day and then fill the bucket outside and top with the Bokashi mixture that would pickle the compost and prevent rotting. This went on until, oh about November 2009. Then I ended up with a full bucket, and frozen ground. I figured I would wait until early spring and then dig in the really pickled stuff and have a great start to the growing season. Here's what really happened...

I kept the bucket on my back porch for months. Each day or week that would go by, I would think to myself "I really should get out there and plan my garden." And I never did. And now it is May.

After six months of pickling away, I decided to open the bucket. I open the bucket, and being two months pregnant, I am greeted with that familiar pickled smell, to the millionth degree. Breathing though my mouth only made it worse.

What I found fascinating was that the food all still looked exactly like food! No rotten fruit. Leftover noodles still completely intact. Milhouse was in dog heaven.

So I finally dug in my six month old compost. And did not stop to take photos. Although now I kind of wish I had! After a few crazy moments of thrashing about on the front lawn with the hose (flying bugs are out for vengeance), I finished cleaning off the remnants of the bucket and lid, and left the parts on the porch to dry overnight. All of Nature seemed to stop and take notice of this new "scent" that was greeting the neighborhood. Suddenly, I had no bug issues...

Let's hope the birds in the nest on the front porch aren't too upset about their pickled neighbor.