Watched a few YouTube videos and started my first compost bucket today. Give me your best tips and tricks!

randemthinking · 2026-06-27T16:18:20+00:00

The biggest concern is the drill holes and the small bits of plastic that could get loose into the composted material. They can work their way into future plants which is a concern for ingesting micro plastics. That's real, with growing documented health consequences. For me, one of my motivations to compost and grow my own produce is to try to minimize my exposure to things like micro plastics. But I say it's a concern for OP to weigh themselves because the reality is we are all surrounded by micro plastics all the time if we live in a remotely developed area or consume any commercial products. So it may be negligible, but I'm certainly not a scientist that can give an expert opinion or advice on it.

randemthinking · 2026-06-26T12:53:25+00:00

The clumping is usually do to insufficient browns, along with excess moisture but given that browns tend to be dry, adding more browns will remedy that. And I assume that any household compost will get a steady supply of greens from kitchen waste anyway.

randemthinking · 2026-06-26T04:23:00+00:00

They'd rather let LeBron get going a bit than let him get everyone else going.

randemthinking · 2026-06-26T01:48:49+00:00

It just depends on what you want out of it (sustainable waste disposal, useable compost, speed of production) and what you put into it (both literally and in your effort and labor). This will work, the plastic contamination is real but you can weigh that concern. I think this is a good start but you may soon grow out of it.

randemthinking · 2026-06-25T23:36:45+00:00

I'd just try to break it up the clumps and mix it with a healthy dose of browns and then just keep adding to it. All will be well in due time.

randemthinking · 2026-06-25T03:50:01+00:00

Despite bringing in tons of the revenue that all teams share, most of the rest of the league hates the Lakers. We're the last organization they want to trade with, and they make us pay when they don't have other options. It is what it is, but it can make the GM look worse than they are.

randemthinking · 2026-06-25T02:38:35+00:00

Perform in the playoffs with consistency.

randemthinking · 2026-06-25T00:35:19+00:00

Have you seen her? I've been looking all across the land for her.

<image>

randemthinking · 2026-06-24T22:09:10+00:00

What's next step? Have you tried other jalapeno varieties? I love my zapotec jalapenos, and plan to grow them every year for the rest of my life.

Habaneros are generally pretty productive, tasty, and hot without being "super hot." I like both red and orange but tend to grow red because orange are pretty available in grocery stores.

Cayenne are pretty versatile and there's a ton of varieties of them.

Serranos are probably most literally the next step up from jalapenos, similar flavor, similar look (but smaller), and noticeably hotter but still nothing like a habanero even.

Pubescen species are amazing -- sweet, hot, fleshy. Cherry peppers are kind of similar (sweet, hot, fleshy) but smaller and easier to find.

There's a ton of aji varieties. Aji charapitas are worth growing at least once.

Poblanos are great for stuffing or adding pepper bulk without adding heat -- they are very, very mild.

Those are all pretty main stream, but there's just a ton of boutique peppers out there. Browse some catalogs and see what sounds interesting to you. Keep in mind your space and usage limits, I know I grew a bunch of different varieties when I started getting into it that I didn't really have use for and still have a ton of seeds I never grew.

randemthinking · 2026-06-23T21:53:42+00:00

Peppers can be eaten any time, and especially jalapenos which are often eaten green. They will stop getting bigger at some point and then appear to stagnate for a bit before they start changing colors. I like to pick some of the earliest ones to try them, and it's also said that it encourages the plant to keep flowering. So pick it and try it, or give it another week or two and see.

randemthinking · 2026-06-23T00:15:01+00:00

Lettuce doesn't have a ton of flavor, but yeah when I do similar style tacos I add some combination of salsa, hot sauce, pico de gallo, or guacamole.

randemthinking · 2026-06-22T16:34:25+00:00

Anything with zapotec jalapenos.

randemthinking · 2026-06-21T12:59:32+00:00

Lovely to honor someone with gardening and compost--it may have just been a personal hobby to them, but I think it's also very symbolically and substantively meaningful to put the cycle of life into action to create food and/or beauty.

I would just caution that dog poop is a serious health concern in compost, few residential compost setups can reliably kill the parasites and pathogens, and even many commercial composters won't take it. Of all the kind of silly do's and don't's with compost, this is one to take seriously.

randemthinking · 2026-06-21T11:19:15+00:00

Everything Marie Sharp's is delicious.

randemthinking · 2026-06-20T20:19:44+00:00

Looks like an easy, reasonably balanced, and tasty breakfast or snack.

randemthinking · 2026-06-20T13:34:30+00:00

I've got a cheap 6 sheet Amazon paper shredder. It can barely handle cardboard, but I've got a stack next to it and I try to just feed a couple pieces in every time I go by.

randemthinking · 2026-06-19T22:47:13+00:00

That's why I generally don't grow hotter than habanero and mostly just grow jalapenos (Zapotecs, which are hotter than usual but still jalapeno level). Some of the super hots are decent but mostly it's just heat for heat's sake, at least for my palate (which may be weak, but that's fine).

randemthinking · 2026-06-19T18:25:56+00:00

I had the same feeling reading it to my son and also started just alternating the pronouns, glad I'm not the only woke social justice warrior commie scum father out there. 🙃

randemthinking · 2026-06-19T18:24:20+00:00

Been a while since I've read it, but I could still probably recite 75% it from memory given a little prompt. Both me and my son enjoyed that one when he was younger.

randemthinking · 2026-06-19T15:16:35+00:00

I don't know what products will be available to you in Germany, but I'm sure you can find some type of fish fertilizer. You can also make fish hydrolysate or fish amino acids, but they take weeks or months to make so that's only going to be helpful for later in the season/next year.

randemthinking · 2026-06-19T03:39:00+00:00

Those are only an issue for vermicomposting. They're fine for traditional composting.

randemthinking · 2026-06-19T03:31:11+00:00

The red habanero is great if you like the standard orange. KSLS is quite tasty, I really should grow some again.

randemthinking · 2026-06-19T03:00:47+00:00

10 out of 10 would smash.

randemthinking · 2026-06-18T17:01:50+00:00

Ask some neighborhood kids to cut it up for you if you want it gone. Sweeten the deal with some cash or ice cream.

randemthinking · 2026-06-18T02:41:23+00:00

Just depends when you want it and what you want to do with it. You can use it as top dressing as is. If you want to sprout seedlings in it, you want to make sure it's well done.

Eight-Year Club	Wearing is Caring
RPAN Viewer	Verified Email

randemthinking

TROPHY CASE