How I Make My Soil Compost
A sign for them is the earth that is dead: We do give it life, and produce grain therefrom, of which ye do eat. And we produce therein orchards with date-palms and vines, and we cause springs to gush forth therein. That they may enjoy the fruits of this (artistry): it was not their hands that made this: will they not then give thanks? Glory to Allah, Who created in pairs all things that the earth produces, as well as their own (human) kind and (other) things of which they have no knowledge.
وَءَايَةٌۭ لَّهُمُ ٱلْأَرْضُ ٱلْمَيْتَةُ أَحْيَيْنَـٰهَا وَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْهَا حَبًّۭا فَمِنْهُ يَأْكُلُونَ
وَجَعَلْنَا فِيهَا جَنَّـٰتٍۢ مِّن نَّخِيلٍۢ وَأَعْنَـٰبٍۢ وَفَجَّرْنَا فِيهَا مِنَ ٱلْعُيُونِ
لِيَأْكُلُوا۟ مِن ثَمَرِهِۦ وَمَا عَمِلَتْهُ أَيْدِيهِمْ ۖ أَفَلَا يَشْكُرُونَ
Surah Ya-Sin 36:33-36
[Paul] planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
1 Corinthians 3:6
The most important requirement for self-sufficiency is belief in God. The second most important requirement for self-sufficiency is growing your own food. The most important requirement for growing your own food is fertile soil. In this essay, I will be documenting the first phase of me “growing” my own soil through the use of a homemade compost bin.
I previously tried doing this with a plastic storage bin and I wasn’t happy with the progress, I documented my experience in a previous blog post.
I decided to try it again and this time make it simple by just getting a clay pot, lining the bottom with soil, putting in my food waste and then covering the food with soil.
The Pot
I decided to use a clay pot because I I was inspired by the verse from the Qur’an where Allah Azza Wa Jal:
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ مِن صَلْصَـٰلٍۢ مِّنْ حَمَإٍۢ مَّسْنُونٍۢ
And certainly did We create man from an extract of clay.
Surah Al-Muminun 23:12
Cost (Canadian Dollars - October 2024)
The process is as follows:
- Line the bottom with soil and cover the hole
- Put the kitchen compost in a glass container, empty daily
- Throw compost into soil daily
- Cover the food completely in soil
Progress So Far
The compost is going well so far in the sense that I have about 6 pots worth of food waste in my apartment patio and there are very few flies, there is no noticeable smell and it is relatively clean.
There are some green plants growing but I’m not sure if that is food or weeds. I don't want to uproot it yet but time will tell.
Composting in the Fall
One caveat about this composting experiment is that I am starting it in September 2024 and I live in Ontario, Canada. It was 11 degrees Celsius when I started the composting. So I have about 3 months of weather at about 15-5 degrees Celsius before the average temperature will be below zero and micro-organism growth will freeze. So that likely means as we get closer to winter the decomposition process will slow down considerably.
Why I Started with Soil Composting
Simple and Foundational Entrypoint to Farming
I decided to start my farming journey by making soil because it is literally and figuratively the foundational skill you need to start farming. It is also the easiest and simplest way to start the farming journey. I was also inspired by this interview of a farmer called Hugh Phillips, an engineer who turned into a farmer so he could spend more time raising his children. One of the things he mentioned is farming in a way that is aligned with nature (or what I will call God’s planning) to do the least amount of work because at the end of the day, it is God who gives the increase.
You may ask, “What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?” 21 I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years.
Leviticus 25:20-12
Making Clean Waste
I’m more interested in seeing if this will produce clean compost. In most houses I’ve lived in, garbage is usually smelly and gross. But my hypothesis is that garbage doesn't need to smell if done properly. The entire process of food generation from farming to cooking to eating and even immediately after food is finished it usually doesn’t smell. So I don’t see any reason why a compost needs to smell bad. I’m curious to see if the use of this organic compost bin allows me to produce garbage that looks and smells pleasant.
Reduce my Waste Footprint and reliance on the grid
My friend Nick told me that he once lived a whole year generating just one pail (about 50 litres) worth of garbage between him and his partner. I would also like to set that goal for myself and I think the way to do that is by reusing my own garbage. It’s also part of my minimalist aesthetic and goal. Composting my own waste also goes towards my goal of being self-sufficient by disposing of my waste without relying on municipal waste services.
It's The Prophetic Way
I was listening to an interview clip with Joe Rogan and Mike Tyson where Rogan asks Tyson what has he learned from studying the great conquerors of History. After listing some of the more well-known conquerors, Alexander the Great, Pippen, Charlamagne, Clovis etc.
Mike Tyson: I wanted to study their mindset. I found out that the greatest conquerors that ever lived were farmers, sheepherders. Somebody that we wouldn't think that are important. As they became great through that, they gave birth to great children.
There is profound wisdom in Tyson's words. Ibrahim/Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Israel/Jacob, Moses David were all farmers, sheepherders and they were even Nomadic so their posessions were few and could be usually transported from location to location. They were also great fathers that gave birth to great children.
This reinforces my belief that I should give up my political amibitions of power and humble myself to being a good shepherd, farmer and father.
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah did not send any prophet but shepherded sheep." His companions asked him, "Did you do the same?" The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "Yes, I used to shepherd the sheep of the people of Mecca for some Qirats (money)."
Sahih al-Bukhari 2262