Cedar

Handmade in the USA

The Valentina is an attractive all wood outdoor Compost bin.

Over the years, on my hikes through the countryside, I would often see wood Bee Hives and it occurred to me that they would make a perfectly sized household composter. Valentina is the ideal proportion for a terrace or small backyard, and will appeal to compost enthusiasts and novices alike.

How Valentina works: Valentina looks like a wooden box with wheels, with a lid that opens up on the top, revealing a list of the basic ingredients that Valentina likes, from eggshells, to vegetables, fruit to shredded newspaper. Inside is the first of two chambers, where all those delicious ingredients are dropped into and the smaller they are cut up the better. The larger upper and smaller lower chambers are divided by a floor of chicken wire, for extra ventilation, and for material to fall below and collected. I strongly recommend adding Red Worms to Valentina, as they are very compatible. I have worms in my own Valentina, and in the lower chamber, I put a 9" long metal cooking tray with sides so I to capture the "liquid gold" also know as Worm Juice. As unattractive as it sounds, no one was more surprised than I was by how much I have grown to value this magic Worm Juice.

When I designed Valentina, I went through several prototypes until I got Valentina just right. It needed to be utilitarian while being very accommodating to apartment dwellers and single-family homeowners. Valentina is made of pine and includes a vent on the back for better air circulation, essential to the composting process. Wheels were added just so Valentina can easily be moved wherever you need it to be. Valentina's flat-top opens easily and the lower chamber is accessed by opening a lower door flap, which stays open, while you are scooping out compost. Use this compost in your potted plants, your garden or vegetable garden because it will improve the health of your nutrient depleted soil and help your plants, trees and vegetables grow better.

Valentina can also double as an outdoor side table! I have a lovely potted plant on top of my Valentina at the moment and it looks just lovely.

In order to protect Valentina while it's shipped, I had to remove the wheels which can be easily reattached when it arrives.

I only started composting 5 years ago, and it's so satisfying making your own compost using your very own kitchen and yard waste. It's the ultimate in recycling and such an easy way to reduce waste going to landfills. I think it's just so brilliant that my rotten bananas, lettuce or tomatoes don't have to be thrown out in the regular trash bin but can be turned instead into a very useful, nutrient rich soil conditioner.

Included with Valentina, is a list I wrote of basic composting instructions and 8 images to illustrate examples of compostable materials.

Did you know... that each individual effort helps, and that if we all started composting, we could help prevent global warming by reducing emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas which gets produced when organic waste decomposes when it's been buried in landfills.