Smiling Spaces: Bins and Barrels

Last fall I got a compost bin for our yard. It was a fabulous day for me because it was the first real thing I did after moving into our new house related to gardening, which I love. It sort of launched me into an excitement building for the spring before the winter had even started.

I remember when we got our compost bin when I was growing up. It was fun to walk down and put fruit and vegetable scraps inside and to wait for a rich dark soil to appear that we could later spread on our plants. Remember making a mini compost bin in school out of an empty 2 liter soda bottle? Those were the days! If your're interested in trying it again, "big kid" style, read on.

Tomorrow is Earth day. Today in the Star Tribune there is a snip-it in the Variety section under "Deal of the Week" about compost and rain barrels. They're both on sale at the Living Green Expo May 1st-2nd which is taking place on the State Fair Grounds. I actually went last year, although we didn't get our compost bin there. We got ours locally for residents in our twin cities suburb.

Normally the bins are about $100-$180 each. Certain times of the year, like in the fall when we got ours and spring, you can get them at a great discount. The Expo is selling compost bins for $55, but you must pre-order I guess. Rain barrels are $65.