The trial and error of composting...with a surprise!

Last year we decided to get down and dirty and try our hand at composting. My husband built a large compost bin (5' x 8') and during the course of the past months we have been throwing in all sorts of greens (nitrogen) and browns (carbon) such as raw kitchen scraps (fruit, vegetables and egg shells), fresh green garden waste, dry leaves and grass. We've layered the browns and greens with organic dirt and manure mixture. I try to turn the whole thing once a week but to be honest I haven't been faithful about it. I have relied solely on the rain for moisture which in this dry summer hasn't been enough. When I turn the compost I see lots of worms and the occasional skink ...good signs that the process is working; albeit ever so slowly.

About a month ago, we notice some growth along the perimeter of the compost bin. Since we are all for experimenting in the garden it has remained untouched so we could see what exactly was growing. It seems that some residual cantaloupe seeds found the soil to be very fertile (after all it is the best organic dirt in the garden) and are now growing rather profusely.



So the other day when I was throwing scraps in the bin I saw some fruit growing on the vine! In fact there are two melons. I can't wait to try them! I have never grown melon before and I am very excited about this!