A viral post by a husband and wife gardening team explains how the couple uses $6 sprinkler valve boxes for easy backyard composting.
The result is what the couple calls the "most eco-friendly, effortless, and cost-effective way to compost — without having to invest in fancy machinery.
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The video, from @svhomegrown, shows the gardeners popping the top off a small cylinder mostly buried in their garden. Then, they fill the cylinder with kitchen scraps, paper products, and yard waste before popping the lid back on.
The video then cuts to two weeks later, when the lid is removed to show broken-down compost.
The original post explains that the couple has 20 of the valve boxes across their property, which require "no turning, digging, inoculating, dealing with pests, synthetic fertilizers, [or] unwanted growth."
As the post garnered millions of likes and comments, the couple followed up to answer some of the most common questions they were getting on the post.
The post explains that the valves they use are from 100% recycled material and are open on the bottom (which goes into the ground) so organisms in the soil can come up into the box to break down materials. That also means the compost that goes in never needs to be harvested.
The couple also explains that the lid on top keeps critters from getting into the compost, much more so than burying your compost (which can easily be dug up).
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says composting "is one of the most powerful actions we can take to reduce our trash, address climate change, and build healthy soil."
In fact, the couple says they've eliminated a huge chunk of the waste their family was throwing away just by composting. All that for just $6.
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