Compost

(Our) compost is the subject of many discussions. This article tries to inform about the current practice of composting in Kanthaus as well as about historical decisions regarding compost.

Current compost practice, PlaMe #33 2025-09-19

There is an active compost heap in the corner formerly known as wilderness corner. This is next to - but not to be confused with - the so called 'compost corner'. The aim is to have at least one person taking long term responsibility, as in: turning it and making sure it doesn't evolve into a pile of rotting slime.

These organic things don't belong on the compost: Cooked or baked things, products containing meat or dairy, fat.

We don't have separate buckets for organic bin and compost. The default is to collect the organic waste from the kitchens in green buckets and empty them in the organic bin. While preparing food or doing food care people are invited to collect stuff worth composting and to put it on the compost afterwards.

Because of annoyance regarding to many big flies in summer, we won't feed the compost between April and September.

Getting compost

Aside from making it ourselves, there is the boring option to get/buy it from somewhere else. Options include

• der Friedhof (Cemetery) - we bought 2m² from them years ago
• der Wertstoffhof (Recycling depot) - apparently you can buy it here?
• LAV Erdenwerke GmbH in Brandis

Historical information

2025-03-26: wiki entry

We currently aren't composting food waste, and haven't been for over a year. This is due to 1) the work of composting well being significant and 2) there being a collection of organic waste, which we trust to process the waste as-good-or-better than we were able to.

Perhaps we will compost again...

2023-11-03: mattermost post

... [the compost heap] was created before KH had a Biotonne, because at the time, all bio waste had to go in the black bin, which is not only nonsensical but also expensive. Therefore, the purpose of the compost pile was to get rid of bio waste, NOT have compost for the garden. Then, of course, when compost was good to use, it was there.

2020-02-13: blog post

From the ancient compost corner era with many interesting insights by a professional gardener