What is THAT smell??????

I figured it was time to start a compost pile. I was turning into a hippie anyway, why not go all the way. Now that my mother-in-law is staying with us and cooking every night, I am up to my eye balls with all kinds of vegetable waste. It was perfect timing. I dug a hole in the back yard to the right of my garden. When I was digging it Annie joked that it looked like I was digging a grave and she wanted to know if she had done something wrong. The hole was about four inches deep.

I started by adding grass clippings, from what I found on the internet this is the best base to start with. So far I have added the clippings from three grass cuttings. Another key component was to have moisture in the pile so I have occasionally added water while watering the garden. I have to keep the pile turned to keep everything decomposing evenly. The only thing I am adding to the pile is fruit and vegetable waste. It is considered unhealthy to add meat products. If you read up on the subject, meat products are a no- no for compost piles (almost like dating your cousin). However my mother-in-law had convinced me the shrimp shells and fish are ok. Hey, who am I to argue with a Chinese woman. If you ask Annie, it is useless to argue with a Chinese woman because you will never win. Over the next nine months this pool of organic waste will turn into fertilizing GOLD. I will use it next year to prep the garden for all the plants and vegetables.

Each evening, AJ and I head up the hill to add the organic waste from the tin in the kitchen to the pile. AJ brings her little shovel with her to mix in everything. I have had to explain the term "decompose" at least five times to her. She is a curious child and is learning a lot so far.
Yesterday I took Annie with me to add to stuff from the tin and of course her reaction was "What is that smell", and my reaction was "what smell?". Moms have a much more sensitive nose than fathers. Annie can smell a poop diaper from a mile away. Anyway, after an explanation she proclaimed that her visit to the compost pile would be her last! I love her.