A friend who calls herself "the master composter of Santa Cruz" inspired me start composting. I thought that I would need a compost bin but she said that it was easy..."all you have to do is dig a hole at least 1 foot deep and throw your table scraps and yard trimmings in and cover it with dirt. Do not throw any dairy or meat in the mix or it will attract animals."

She told me that it would take about 4 months; but I dug up my first batch after one month when I ran out of potting soil. The soil is incredibly soft and easy to shovel out.

I have to add that I did cheat as well...I threw in one of the holes seafood, yogurt, and meat. I suppose animals couldn't smell it because it was buried so deep; maybe also because I rolled a huge terra cotta pot over the mound and left it there!

I have since made 6 other sites in the backyard and everytime I dig up the soil, I leave the hole there ready for the next batch. I can't believe I used to buy potting soil...and drive bags of it back home in my car!